How a VR Experience is Making India's Space Missions Come Alive for a New Generation
Research by:
Chirag Sankhat
UX Design in Space
Aug 18, 2025
Do you remember feeling a disconnect between the incredible achievements of ISRO's space missions and the way you learned about them in a textbook?
While missions like Chandrayaan and Gaganyaan fill the nation with pride, traditional outreach methods like posters and televised launches often lack the emotional depth and interactivity needed to truly engage the public.
This gap is particularly felt by students and young people, who miss the opportunity to connect with the "why," "how," and "who" behind these national achievements.
This blog post will delve into a groundbreaking case study that addresses this very problem. We’ll explore the creation of a Vision Pro-powered public VR storytelling experience called "Inside India's Space Missions".
We'll show you how this immersive app is not just a digital tool, but a gateway to imagination and understanding, transforming passive pride into active curiosity for the next generation of scientists and explorers.
A Disconnect Between Achievement and Engagement
India's space missions are a source of immense national pride, but the public often feels disconnected from their inner workings. The celebration of ISRO's missions is often limited to the launch moment, with little narrative engagement afterward.
Science communication in the form of textbooks often fails to ignite young minds, and the general public and students can't physically visit ISRO facilities like the ones in Sriharikota.
There has been no digital platform that allows people to experience these missions as if they were actually there—in orbit, on the moon, or during rover deployments. As a result, the youth miss the chance to emotionally connect with the human effort and scientific processes behind India's space program.
Surveys of 168 students between the ages of 13 and 21 revealed some telling insights:
82% couldn't explain what happens after a rocket launch.
64% said they learned more from YouTube than from textbooks, but felt YouTube lacked immersion and accuracy.
71% expressed a desire to explore a VR simulation of missions like Chandrayaan or Gaganyaan.
This data highlighted a clear need for a more modern, emotionally engaging tool beyond traditional methods.
"Inside India’s Space Missions"
To bridge this gap, a UX-driven case study led to the creation of "Inside India's Space Missions," a Vision Pro spatial app designed for immersive storytelling. The experience allows users to virtually "walk inside" India’s iconic space missions using natural interactions like gaze, gestures, and voice. The solution was developed with Unity, Figma, Sora AI, and Adobe Audition, and focuses on immersive education, emotional storytelling, and curiosity-led navigation.
The core features of the experience include:
Mission Walkthroughs: Users can walk inside the Chandrayaan lander and hear pre-recorded voices of ISRO scientists.
Launch Room Simulation: The app simulates the countdown from Sriharikota's control room.
Spatial Timeline Navigation: A floating mission timeline can be hand-scrolled to visualize rocket stages, orbit corrections, and lander deployment.
Hidden Trivia & Curiosity Triggers: Tapping glowing markers reveals mini-stories, such as how the Chandrayaan lander was coded.
The experience culminates in an "emotional ending," where users are presented with a visual gallery of real ISRO scientists and a powerful message: "This is your mission too".
Roshni's Journey to the Moon
A powerful example of the app's impact is the story of Roshni, a 14-year-old student from Sabarkantha, Gujarat. Having only ever seen rockets on television, she was able to experience "Inside Chandrayaan-3" during a school demonstration.
She virtually floated inside the Vikram lander, listened to a scientist explain how the rover was coded, and viewed Earth from a porthole window. After the experience, she declared, "I want to build a spacecraft, just like they did". Days later, she painted the Vikram lander on her school wall, titling it: "India Touches the Moon, I'll Reach the Stars".
The Results
The prototype was tested with 78 students from rural Gujarat and Maharashtra, 34 science teachers, and over 30 general users over the age of 40. The feedback and results were overwhelmingly positive:
95% of users said they understood the mission more clearly than ever before.
Schools reported a 36% higher student retention on mission facts after the experience.
91% of users wanted more missions added to the app.
The experience made India's space stories both emotionally and cognitively memorable, bridging a generational gap and inspiring collaborations with institutions like Science City - Ahmedabad and the Bangalore Museum.
Key Learnings for Immersive Education
The success of "Inside India's Space Missions" offers a blueprint for creating powerful and effective educational tools. Here are the key principles:
Embrace Immersive Education: Go beyond static content and create experiences where users feel like they are part of the story. This active participation leads to better retention and deeper understanding.
Leverage Emotional Storytelling: Don't just present facts; create a narrative that connects with the user on an emotional level. By showcasing the "why" and the human effort, you can inspire action and create lasting memories.
Prioritize Curiosity-Led Navigation: Empower users to explore at their own pace and follow their interests. Features like hidden trivia markers encourage exploration and make learning feel like a discovery process.
Utilize Natural Interactions: Use intuitive interactions like gaze, gestures, and voice to make the experience feel seamless and natural. This lowers the barrier to entry and makes complex topics more accessible.
The Bridge Between Science and Soul
“Inside India's Space Missions" proves that UX can be the bridge between science and soul. By merging spatial computing, emotional design, and natural interfaces, this experience transforms passive pride into active curiosity. It's not just a VR app; it’s a gateway to imagination and national identity, turning India's space story into something you don't just see—you live. The success of this project is a testament to the power of immersive technology to inspire the next generation of dreamers, scientists, and explorers.
Do you remember feeling a disconnect between the incredible achievements of ISRO's space missions and the way you learned about them in a textbook?
While missions like Chandrayaan and Gaganyaan fill the nation with pride, traditional outreach methods like posters and televised launches often lack the emotional depth and interactivity needed to truly engage the public.
This gap is particularly felt by students and young people, who miss the opportunity to connect with the "why," "how," and "who" behind these national achievements.
This blog post will delve into a groundbreaking case study that addresses this very problem. We’ll explore the creation of a Vision Pro-powered public VR storytelling experience called "Inside India's Space Missions".
We'll show you how this immersive app is not just a digital tool, but a gateway to imagination and understanding, transforming passive pride into active curiosity for the next generation of scientists and explorers.
A Disconnect Between Achievement and Engagement
India's space missions are a source of immense national pride, but the public often feels disconnected from their inner workings. The celebration of ISRO's missions is often limited to the launch moment, with little narrative engagement afterward.
Science communication in the form of textbooks often fails to ignite young minds, and the general public and students can't physically visit ISRO facilities like the ones in Sriharikota.
There has been no digital platform that allows people to experience these missions as if they were actually there—in orbit, on the moon, or during rover deployments. As a result, the youth miss the chance to emotionally connect with the human effort and scientific processes behind India's space program.
Surveys of 168 students between the ages of 13 and 21 revealed some telling insights:
82% couldn't explain what happens after a rocket launch.
64% said they learned more from YouTube than from textbooks, but felt YouTube lacked immersion and accuracy.
71% expressed a desire to explore a VR simulation of missions like Chandrayaan or Gaganyaan.
This data highlighted a clear need for a more modern, emotionally engaging tool beyond traditional methods.
"Inside India’s Space Missions"
To bridge this gap, a UX-driven case study led to the creation of "Inside India's Space Missions," a Vision Pro spatial app designed for immersive storytelling. The experience allows users to virtually "walk inside" India’s iconic space missions using natural interactions like gaze, gestures, and voice. The solution was developed with Unity, Figma, Sora AI, and Adobe Audition, and focuses on immersive education, emotional storytelling, and curiosity-led navigation.
The core features of the experience include:
Mission Walkthroughs: Users can walk inside the Chandrayaan lander and hear pre-recorded voices of ISRO scientists.
Launch Room Simulation: The app simulates the countdown from Sriharikota's control room.
Spatial Timeline Navigation: A floating mission timeline can be hand-scrolled to visualize rocket stages, orbit corrections, and lander deployment.
Hidden Trivia & Curiosity Triggers: Tapping glowing markers reveals mini-stories, such as how the Chandrayaan lander was coded.
The experience culminates in an "emotional ending," where users are presented with a visual gallery of real ISRO scientists and a powerful message: "This is your mission too".
Roshni's Journey to the Moon
A powerful example of the app's impact is the story of Roshni, a 14-year-old student from Sabarkantha, Gujarat. Having only ever seen rockets on television, she was able to experience "Inside Chandrayaan-3" during a school demonstration.
She virtually floated inside the Vikram lander, listened to a scientist explain how the rover was coded, and viewed Earth from a porthole window. After the experience, she declared, "I want to build a spacecraft, just like they did". Days later, she painted the Vikram lander on her school wall, titling it: "India Touches the Moon, I'll Reach the Stars".
The Results
The prototype was tested with 78 students from rural Gujarat and Maharashtra, 34 science teachers, and over 30 general users over the age of 40. The feedback and results were overwhelmingly positive:
95% of users said they understood the mission more clearly than ever before.
Schools reported a 36% higher student retention on mission facts after the experience.
91% of users wanted more missions added to the app.
The experience made India's space stories both emotionally and cognitively memorable, bridging a generational gap and inspiring collaborations with institutions like Science City - Ahmedabad and the Bangalore Museum.
Key Learnings for Immersive Education
The success of "Inside India's Space Missions" offers a blueprint for creating powerful and effective educational tools. Here are the key principles:
Embrace Immersive Education: Go beyond static content and create experiences where users feel like they are part of the story. This active participation leads to better retention and deeper understanding.
Leverage Emotional Storytelling: Don't just present facts; create a narrative that connects with the user on an emotional level. By showcasing the "why" and the human effort, you can inspire action and create lasting memories.
Prioritize Curiosity-Led Navigation: Empower users to explore at their own pace and follow their interests. Features like hidden trivia markers encourage exploration and make learning feel like a discovery process.
Utilize Natural Interactions: Use intuitive interactions like gaze, gestures, and voice to make the experience feel seamless and natural. This lowers the barrier to entry and makes complex topics more accessible.
The Bridge Between Science and Soul
“Inside India's Space Missions" proves that UX can be the bridge between science and soul. By merging spatial computing, emotional design, and natural interfaces, this experience transforms passive pride into active curiosity. It's not just a VR app; it’s a gateway to imagination and national identity, turning India's space story into something you don't just see—you live. The success of this project is a testament to the power of immersive technology to inspire the next generation of dreamers, scientists, and explorers.
