Spaceport

A Turnkey Solution

The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) contracted with us at IDEAS to design facilities and exhibits with a purpose. 

The NMSA team wanted their facilities and exhibits to inspire and educate visitors at Spaceport America — the world’s first commercial spaceport. 

IDEAS partnered with these long-time, best-of-breed collaborators to form Team IDEAS and provide the NMSA with turnkey services:

• Integrated Insight
• Exline Design
• MYDesign
• Blackhorse Worldwide
• SMPC Architects 
• Cordava Marketing Group

At Team IDEAS, our work included a comprehensive suite of services:

• Market profiling
• Demand modeling
• Business/financial trade studies and plans
• Pricing and budgeting
• Overall visitor planning and programming
• Branding and identity development 
• Strategy planning
• Website design
• Message development 

We didn’t stop there! The Team also provided all the following services:

• Experience design
• Creative concept validation
• Exhibit and attraction fabrication, acquisition, installation and training 
• Architectural/engineering design and construction-level document development
• Construction administration 
• Robust private sponsorship and alliance development 

The entire project kicked off in August 2011. We completed the build-out and held the grand opening in April 2015.

An Open Invitation to Space

Through our robust, story-based brand development process, IDEAS revitalized the Spaceport America brand. 

We also created a new visual identity to reflect the spirit of adventurous exploration, the promise of human potential and the powerful combination of applied vision and courage. 

Spaceport America exemplifies these qualities as it launches the future of space exploration. 

Its team embraces the mission to lead the world in enabling safe, economical access to space via collaborative innovation. They do so by developing and operating the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport, inspiring and enlightening the next generation by offering the world an invitation to space. 

The Spaceport America brand is rooted in key values:

• Delivering economic prosperity to stakeholders through public and private cooperation
• Championing environmental stewardship
• Celebrating New Mexico’s cultural heritage 

That brand assures that every customer and visitor becomes not only an enthusiast but also a genuine partner in space. The brand stimulates their curiosity, encourages a blossoming lifelong relationship with Spaceport America and fosters a strong desire to continue their personal space journey.

“…Just as the concept of exploration is a deep component of the imagined visitor experience, the brand itself must also portray a sense of being on the informed leading edge of the market…”

“…The Spaceport America Identity is named ‘Spirit’ because it represents multiple ideas and communicates on many levels. The shapes represent two stars coming together –- the collaboration of innovative efforts to propel man’s reach into space…”

An Aspiration To Go Beyond

Multiple immersive encounters at two locations provide Earthbound visitors with imaginatively entertaining, engaging learning experiences throughout their journey to Spaceport America:

• The Spaceport America Visitor Center in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
• On-site in the Gateway Gallery, inside the iconic Gateway To Space terminal hangar facility

With origins dating back thousands of years, Spaceport America builds upon a heritage of exploration, commerce and the discovery of new frontiers rooted in New Mexico’s history. 

Mixed-media and interactive games place the challenges of commercial space travel and exploration into visitors’ hands to solve in order to succeed. On-site tours and access to the Gateway Gallery (inside the Gateway To Space facility) give visitors unprecedented views of the future of space exploration. 

These features entertain and engage visitors at every touchpoint along the way. Team IDEAS designed the Spaceport America visitor experience to appeal to a broad range of guests:

• Local residents
• Families 
• Students of all ages 
• Corporate, government and media VIPs 
• Space neophytes 
• High-income suborbital space travelers who have “done it all”
• Guests with varied ethnicities and first languages
• Customers and space travelers who will launch into space at Spaceport America

Learning Through Play

We believe the concept of “play” is one of the most important elements in advancing the human race. 

With that top of mind, we designed four interactive game kiosks that allow guests to interact with Spaceport America on different levels. 

While solving puzzles in Place in Space and Mission Manifest, dodging debris in Cosmic Cleanup or helping solve a crisis in Mission Control, players of all ages learn about commercial space travel and Spaceport America operations. 

Building a Digital Brand Through Story

The Spaceport America team didn’t want to only enhance the on-location guest experience. They also wanted to extend their reach to potential guests by providing everyone with a small piece of the Spaceport America experience. 

We designed the Spaceport Builder app to capture the Spaceport America experience’s essence. It empowers users to build their own spaceport in a story-driven adventure for users of all ages.

Looking to the Future While Honoring the Past

Honoring New Mexico’s history and paying homage to humankind’s incredible story leading to the creation of Spaceport America were important core story elements. 

We designed the Journey Upward mural and companion app to exemplify those elements. They bring New Mexico’s cultural heritage story to life in an interactive experience and empower guests to explore the state’s rich past while learning about key points in time.

History on the Move

At IDEAS, we developed media elements presenting multiple facets for the Spaceport America visitor experience:

• New Mexico’s rich culture
• El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro’s storied past
• New Mexico’s early space history
• The exciting potential for commercial space travel and exploration that continues New Mexico’s legacy of pioneering and exploration