Sir Richard Branson wins the new “race to space,” becoming the first pioneer to realize the dream of viable commercial space travel and bringing this accomplishment one giant leap closer for everyone.
Sir Richard Branson wins the new “race to space,” becoming the first pioneer to realize the dream of viable commercial space travel and bringing this accomplishment one giant leap closer for everyone.
Fifteen years ago, Lightswitch began a journey with Virgin Galactic, supporting their goal to bring space tourism to the general public. Over that decade and a half, we have helped create innovative and award-winning events and experiences, always with one end in mind — bringing scalable, affordable space travel within reach. On July 11th 2021, Virgin Galactic achieved that goal when Sir Richard Branson, Beth Moses, Colin Bennett, and Sirisha Bandla officially became astronauts — Beth for the second time!
Lightswitch’s project brief from Virgin Galactic’s Vice President Blair Rich was broad and went beyond just lighting design. Working with Virgin Galactic's team, led by Head of Creative Studio Michelle Jackley and Creative Director Tom Westray, we helped orchestrate every moment of the experience — from 1,000 VIP guests on site to a multi-camera livestream viewed by more than 30 million people worldwide. With the assistance of longtime collaborator Michael Downs, we designed a temporary, boutique, and high-touch in-person experience on the ramp at Virgin Galactic's New Mexico home, Gateway to Space. This experience utilized large LED screens and temporary structures to allow viewing of the flight and a place to shelter in comfort from the extreme desert climate, respectively. Excitement was added with a concert from multi-platinum artist Khalid, performing in an environment designed by our own team.
To help the world come together for this moment in history, we collaborated with Virgin Galactic to design a carefully crafted livestream experience for millions of viewers. Supporting and supervising everything from graphic design, to camera blocking, to the set for the livestream hosts, we ensured that Virgin Galactic's brand and personality were consistent, and that the remote guests were as engaged and involved as those on the ground.
Our long history with Virgin Galactic gives us a deep understanding of their brand, their vision, and their mission to make spaceflight more affordable, all while creating advocates for the planet in the process. For Virgin Galactic, it isn’t just about going to space — it's about having a remarkable experience and coming back profoundly changed. Lightswitch is built from the ground up for this kind of unique project: we are masters of creating experiences and we are passionate about the world around us. We are incredibly proud of this collaboration with Virgin Galactic and the part we played in bringing humanity one step closer to the stars.
