NASA Orion
Overview
Orion Immersive Experience: Making Deep Space Exploration Tangible. Designing a mixed reality experience for Lockheed Martin Space that transforms NASA’s Orion spacecraft from something audiences observe into something they can actively explore. A custom-built physical capsule, Unreal Engine environments, synchronized tablet controls, spatial audio, and a headset HUD work together as one guided experience across the spacecraft’s exterior and interior.
Client
Lockheed Martin
Role
UI/UX, Interaction & Motion Designer
Impact
500+ high-profile participants took control of the experience, with an average session time of 7–8 minutes.
Global Footprint
2026 Space Symposium (Space Foundation), SMD Symposium
Turning a Spacecraft Into Something You Can Actually Explore. The challenge was to make deep space exploration understandable and tangible for audiences across government, aerospace, and defence. Rather than presenting Orion through static models or screens, the experience places visitors inside a spatial journey where they can move around the spacecraft, step inside the crew module, and discover how its systems support human spaceflight.
Physical + Digital Integration
Connects a custom-built physical capsule with a high-fidelity virtual environment to create a continuous experience across both worlds.
Spatial Exploration
Lets visitors discover Orion’s exterior and interior through movement, proximity, and direct interaction rather than passive observation.
Designing Two Interfaces as One Experience. The experience combines two synchronized interface layers: a tablet companion that structures progression and a headset HUD that delivers contextual information directly within the mixed reality environment. Together, they guide visitors through Orion without competing for attention, keeping the spacecraft itself at the centre of the experience.
Tablet Companion
Breaks the journey into clear stages, introducing each system and guiding users from orientation through the exterior and interior.
Headset HUD
Places navigation, orientation, system status, and contextual information at the edge of the user’s field of view, preserving visual focus on the spacecraft.
Turning Technical Systems Into Spatial Understanding. Orion contains layers of complex engineering that are difficult to understand through diagrams alone. The experience connects technical information directly to the spacecraft, allowing visitors to explore systems such as solar power, propulsion, thermal protection, life support, navigation, communications, and crew seating in the spatial context where they actually exist.
Contextual Learning
Pairs technical information with the physical location of each system, helping visitors understand complex engineering through spatial context.
Interactive Systems
Lets visitors inspect and manipulate key components, turning technical explanations into hands-on moments of discovery.
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