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Daksha spacecraft
Preparing orbit · 0%
DAKSHA MISSION / VR LEARNING PLATFORM

DAKSHA
IN ORBIT.

A VR platform for satellite education and outreach.

Explore the mission ↓
01 / THE OPPORTUNITY

A COMPLEX
INSTRUMENT.
A CLEARER WAY IN.

Bring the mission and its subsystems into a shared virtual environment.

02 / BENEATH THE SURFACE

EVERY PART.
IN CONTEXT.

Separate the layers. See how each component belongs to the whole.

01 / Structure02 / Detectors03 / Battery packs
The model studies ↗
03 / THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

EXPLORE.
INSPECT.
ASSEMBLE.

Four modes connect the satellite, its structure, and the people behind it.

Follow the design process ↓
DAKSHA IN ORBIT / 2026

From research to interaction.

DESIGN
Mukil Kumar
GUIDANCE
Prof. Jayesh Pillai
CLIENT
Prof. Varun Bhalerao
CONTEXT
IDC, IIT Bombay
01 / THE BRIEF

Make the mission approachable.

A VR learning platform for students and newcomers to explore Daksha’s structure, components, and mission.

Daksha collaboration logos including IIT Bombay, TIFR, Raman Research Institute, IUCAA, and ISRO
  1. 01Research
  2. 02Explore concepts
  3. 03Build & iterate
  4. 04Test
02 / RESEARCH

Understand the instrument.

Mission papers, laboratory visits, and the Daksha team grounded the experience in the actual satellite.

Daksha mission papers reviewed during research
Mission literature.
Detector hardware and electronics at a laboratory workstation
The physical instrument.
The Daksha student team at IIT Bombay
The Daksha student team.
A researcher working at an instrument bench
Research in the lab.
03 / INTERACTION CONCEPTS

Learn by exploring.

Anchor information to components. Let learners take the structure apart and put it back together.

Sketch of information anchored to a spacecraft component in VR
Information in context.
Sketch of controller-based assembly in VR
Hands-on assembly.
Original Daksha identity and colour explorations
Identity explorations.
Solid Home and Satellite View icons with text labels
Solid icons. Direct labels. Inter typography.
04 / ASSET DEVELOPMENT

A structure you can inspect.

Satellite assets developed with the Daksha team, balancing technical correctness and visual clarity.

Exploded Daksha model showing its subassemblies
Exploded model study.
Daksha model showing the internal frame and detector housings
Component hierarchy.
05 / ITERATION

Clearer ways in.

The entry menu evolved into four learning modes. Wrist-based controls keep navigation close at hand.

Earlier VR menu with three mode cards
Earlier menu.
Revised VR menu with four learning modes
Four distinct entry points.
Home and Satellite View navigation controls
Navigation within reach.
06 / THE EXPERIENCE

Four ways to understand Daksha.

Orbit, inspect, assemble, and discover the people behind the mission.

Explore Daksha

In orbit.

Rotate the satellite to explore its form and deployment configuration.

Drag to rotate
The VR prototype’s four mode cards in front of Earth
The orbit-scene menu, captured from the VR prototype.
07 / CONTEXT

Designed for real spaces.

Compact layouts and stationary controls support classrooms, labs, and public outreach.

Classroom interaction space plan, 3 × 2 m

Classroom

3 × 2 m
Laboratory interaction space plan, 2 × 2 m

Laboratory

2 × 2 m
Exhibition interaction space plan, 2 × 2 m

Exhibition

2 × 2 m
08 / TESTING

In people’s hands.

Headset sessions focused on understanding the structure, finding a way through, and comfort during use.

Participants testing the VR prototype with headsets and controllers, with a mirrored screen view
Prototype testing in the lab.
09 / NEXT STEPS

From structure to signals.

Future work explores moving a source around Daksha, with detector responses and live graphs explaining event localisation.

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