the approach

The brief started broadly, to design something for the emerging space tourism market. With such a wide-open topic and an uncertain future, we began by building possible future scenarios for which to design.

possible future scenarios for which to design

zeroing in

Suborbital commercial space flights promise to transport passengers vast distances in about 1/10th of the time it takes today. Most notably, the flight will include up to 30 minutes of microgravity, or near-zero gravity.

mocking up the cabin interior layout in full-scale

seat mock-up

seatbelt mock-up

gesture controls mock-up

1. buckling in

Before the plane departs, the passenger simply buckles up in two points.

2. unbuckling in microgravity

As the plane transitions into microgravity, passengers may unbuckle and play around for up to 10 minutes.

3. landing procedure

As the plane decends back towards earth, the passenger floats back to his/her seat to buckle back in.

4. after landing

After landing, the passenger finally unbuckles and exits the cabin.

how passengers access the microgravity playground

dual-knit stretchy/durable fabrics

left and right side gesture controls

notifications to passengers

digital mock-up of seatbelt

digital mock-up of tray table

Black Sky is designed for a user experience that allowed passengers to have fun, be social, or just sit back and enjoy the view if they wish to relax alone.

With an innovative five-point harness system and gesture controls, passengers can safely and comfortably control their seating area whether they are in normal gravity or microgravity situations.

Furthermore, the re-imagined cabin interior lays out a section for a microgravity playground.

the flight, reimagined

The Black Sky interior uses many visual cues to orient the passengers right-side up. This includes a high contrast between the seats and the rest of the cabin, different size windows, high contrast lighting cues, as well as the asymmetrical rim of the hallway that leads to the microgravity playground. Passengers also have a privacy screen, in case they want to just sit back and enjoy a relaxing flight through the stratosphere.