01 Overview
Through the Cone
Mission control for a ground station network.
I designed how operators use each pass.
- Space UX
- Mission Operations
- Scheduling
2 personas
Each with clear ownership
2 ways to book
From the timeline or a wizard
1 pass view
Prepare, monitor, command, telemetry
No 3D
Light enough for legacy systems
02 The problem
A few minutes to get right
Pass
A window in the sky
Minutes above a station's horizon. Miss it, and wait an orbit.
Telecommand
Instructions going up
Commands sent up during the pass.
Telemetry
Health coming down
Health and payload data, read in view.
The value chain
- Add a satellite
- Approve it
- Predict passes
- Book a pass
- Prepare
- Monitor live
- Telecommands & telemetry
Two personas
Ground station operations (GS Ops)
Own stations and antennas. Approve satellites.
Satellite operations (Sat Ops)
Own satellites. Book passes, command, read telemetry.
The client had two existing tools. Redrawn here, without their screens:
The web tool: a + per row.The desktop app: a panel per job. I studied two other mission-control tools. Not shown.
Before
- Login
- Dashboard
- Satellite configuration
- Current bookings
- Pass predictions
- Mission control
After
- Login as a persona
- Dashboard
- Satellites
- Ground stations
- Passes
- Live pass
It isn't one task. It's two jobs meeting over a station.
03 Role & scope
From first flows to working prototype
Senior UX Designer
1 month
April 2026
Decided together
The client's project manager
Who owns what, and what comes first
The developers
Legacy limits, how passes are modelled
04 Dashboard
A home for each persona
Dashboard
From one screen to one per persona
Tried
Version 1 - A digital twin, ringed by its stats
- A telemetry dashboard of live values
- Version 1: one dashboard for everything
Shipped
Satellite operations' home Each persona lands on its own work. GS Ops see stations, Sat Ops satellites.
Decided with The client's project manager
05 Satellites
Sat Ops adds, GS Ops approves
- Sat Ops adds a satellite
- GS Ops reviews it
- Approved per station
- Ready to book
Satellites · Add
Three versions, then a wizard
Tried
The existing form, redrawnVersion 1Version 2 Version 3: 3D mission control - The existing configuration formOne long form, typed by hand.
- Version 1: a fleet list and orbit
- Version 2: a command centre globe
- Version 3: a 3D mission control consoleComplex, and 3D models aren't always available. Too heavy for legacy systems.
Shipped
A four-step wizard: type, details, constellation, commands. Commands can come later as JSON.
Decided with The client's project manager · The developers
Approving
GS Ops check each satellite against stations. Blocked stations say why, right there.
Antennas
Pointing and status over position
Tried
- A top-down map of the antennasIt added little value to the work.
- Antenna maintenance and its modes Next phaseFlagging stays. Maintenance modes wait for later.
Shipped
Add an antenna, flag it for maintenance Stations on a map, with a list. Flagging an antenna warns about booked passes.
Decided with The client's project manager
Passes · Book
Two ways in, both short
Tried
The existing booking, redrawn - A + on every pass, then confirmToo many clicks, and confirms could fail.
Shipped
From the timelineThrough the wizard Pick a timeline slot and confirm. Or use a three-step wizard.
Decided with The developers
Passes · Live
One view for the whole pass
Tried
The existing pass details, redrawn - Pass details spread across many windowsToo much to read before a pass.
Shipped
Prepare pass shows the arc and checklist. Monitor pass shows it live.
Decided with The developers
Telecommands
Each satellite keeps a command library. It's ready before the pass.