New Minecraft Artemis DLC Lets Players Build Their Own Spaceship

Mojang has announced an awesome collaboration made in partnership with NASA to offer what it’s named the Artemis Missions forMinecraft. WithMinecraft Education, educators are able to useMinecraftto teach all manner of STEM lessons including math, programming, and more. Partnering with NASA to offer an up-close look at the Artemis space program and Orion spacecraft is just the latest example of howMinecraftis helping gamers learn science.

Artemis 1 was a Moon-orbiting mission inNASA’s Artemis programthat launched in 2022. It was the first launch as part of the United States' lunar exploration program in decades. The primary purpose of the Artemis 1 mission was to test the Orion spaceship and its Space Launch System rocket, with future lunar exploration missions to follow. Artemis 1 was fully successful, with Orion launching on November 16 and performing two Moon flybys before reentering earth’s atmosphere on December 11.

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Now the Artemis 1 program is coming toMinecraft, via both theMinecraft Educationplatformand a special map forMinecraft Bedrock. In the new Artemis Missions forMinecraft Education, learners will be able to design and launch a rocket to the moon. To do so, they can even use block coding or Python to help navigate the Orion spacecraft. The lessons are also in line with both the National Science Teachers Association and the Computer Science Teachers Association’s lesson plans.

For those who just want the opportunity to see Orion and its SLS rocket in motion, the Artemis: Rocket Build DLC is now available on theMinecraft Marketplace. Players will be able to explore NASA labs and talk to rocket scientists and engineers. They’ll even get to help design the moon rocket and see it blast off from a makeshift Cape Canaveral.

The ubiquity ofMinecraftmakes it uniquely positioned to serve as a platform not just for video game shenanigans, but also education. Creators are able to work with entities like NASA, take what they’re offering and work with teachers, and create lessons that play like video games kids are already familiar with.

Minecraftis available now on PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and mobile devices.