The aluminium Minifigures have been made in the likeness of the Roman god Jupiter, his wife Juno and the astronomer Galileo.

Launched yesterday, NASA's Juno and its three passengers will arrive at Jupiter in July 2016 and will orbit the planet for one year, observing the gas giant over 33 revolutions before crash landing on the surface.

Andrew Arnold, PR and communications manager for Lego Community, Education and Direct, said: "The Lego crew's mission is part of the Lego Bricks in Space project, the joint outreach and educational programme developed as part of the partership between NASA and the Lego Group to inspire children to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics."

Left to right: The Jupiter, Juno and Galileo Minifigures

The Minifigures’ journey will be charted on www.legospace.com, where videos, downloads, a 'Legonaut' game and various facts about space exploration will also be featured.

You can read more about Juno here and follow the mission on Twitter. 

Lego UK recently launched a building competition for its Lego City Space range at the Leicester Space Centre.