CASE STUDY - ESA
Designing the Public Outreach Platform for the European Space Agency’s Solar Eclipse Trilogy
Branding, UX/UI, cloud infrastructure and development of the official public outreach platform for the Solar Eclipse Trilogy (2026–2028), commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA), in collaboration with the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, FECYT, ONCE and CCATE.
The challenge
Our role
Collaboration
Lessons learned
Client
European Space Agency (ESA)
Industry
Aerospace · Science · Public Sector
Project Timeline
2025–2028
Scope - End-to-End
Brand Strategy · Branding · UX Research · UX/UI Design · Full-Stack Development · Cloud Infrastructure · DevOps · QA · Maintenance
Technologies
Laravel 10 · React 19 · PostgreSQL · Docker · OVH European Cloud · GitLab CI/CD · Google Maps API · WAF · Auto-Scaling · HTTPS/SSL
TIMELINE
Request for Quotation → Discovery → Branding → UX/UI Design → Development → Cloud Infrastructure & DevOps → Security, QA & Performance Testing → Public Launch → Ongoing Maintenance (2026–2028)
The challenge
The challenge was to create the official public outreach platform for the Solar Eclipse Trilogy (2026–2028)—a platform commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA) that would become the central hub for eclipse-related events, educational content and public engagement across Spain.
Beyond creating an intuitive digital experience, the platform had to satisfy the expectations of multiple public institutions and scientific organisations while remaining accessible to a broad audience, from astronomy enthusiasts to families, schools and first-time visitors.
From a technical perspective, the solution had to be designed with long-term reliability in mind. With millions of expected visitors around the eclipse dates, every architectural decision—from cloud infrastructure and security to performance and scalability—had to ensure that the platform remained stable under exceptional traffic peaks.
At the same time, scientific accuracy could never be compromised. Every piece of content required careful validation, while accessibility, multilingual support and ease of content management were essential to allow multiple organisations to collaborate efficiently throughout the project’s lifetime.
Project at a glance
Project Duration
8 months
Maintenance Contract
Until December 2028
People Involved
29 professionals
Meetings Held
25
Stakeholder Organisations
5 core organisations + 9 scientific & public institutions
Languages
5
Major Releases
9
Infrastructure Capacity
Engineered for 1M+
simultaneous users
Our role
Our agency provided end-to-end service that combined strategy, design, engineering and long-term operational support.
SCOPE OF WORK
Branding
Brand Strategy
& Visual Identity
Creation of the platform’s visual identity and digital design system.
User
Experience Design
UX/UI Design
Design of responsive interfaces, reusable components and an accessible user experience.
UX/UI Design
Design of responsive interfaces, reusable components and an accessible user experience.
Development
Front-end Development
Development of a fast, responsive
and modern user interface.
Back-end Development
Implementation of the application
logic, APIs and platform functionality.
Content Management System (CMS)
Development of a flexible CMS enabling
multiple organisations to manage multilingual content efficiently.
Infrastructure and Security
Cloud Infrastructure & DevOps
Architecture, deployment pipelines, hosting configuration and infrastructure management to ensure reliability and scalability.
Quality Assurance & Testing
Comprehensive functional, responsive and cross-browser testing before public launch.
Security & Performance Optimisation
Implementation of security best practices, performance optimisation and preparation for high-traffic events.
Maintenance & Continuous Support
Ongoing monitoring, maintenance and platform evolution throughout the Solar Eclipse Trilogy until 2028.
Collaboration across multiple organisations
Delivering a platform of this scale required close collaboration between multiple organisations, each bringing its own expertise, priorities and approval processes.
Throughout the project, Morpheon worked alongside representatives from the European Space Agency (ESA), the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, FECYT, ONCE and CCATE, as well as scientists, accessibility specialists and communication teams.
Every major milestone—from branding and UX/UI to technical architecture and content presentation—underwent multiple rounds of review to ensure that scientific accuracy, accessibility requirements and institutional expectations were all met.
Coordinating feedback from numerous stakeholders while maintaining momentum required clear communication, structured project management and the flexibility to adapt as new requirements emerged throughout the project.
In projects involving public institutions, success depends not only on technical expertise but also on the ability to align diverse perspectives and guide complex decision-making towards a common goal.
Behind
the scenes
Every successful digital platform is the result of countless conversations, sketches, iterations and decisions made long before the public ever sees the final product.
This gallery offers a glimpse into the process behind the final platform—from early wireframes and Figma prototypes to development, testing sessions, stakeholder meetings and launch preparation.
LESSONS LEARNED
Every complex project leaves a lasting impact. The Solar Eclipse Trilogy challenged us in new ways and strengthened how we approach future projects.
LESSON 1
Scientific projects demand
exceptional attention to detail
Designing for a scientific audience is fundamentally different from designing for a commercial product. Every illustration, icon, animation and visual representation had to be carefully verified. Even widely available stock images or online references can contain scientific inaccuracies, making close collaboration with subject matter experts essential throughout the design process.
LESSON 2
Accessibility starts
on day one
Accessibility cannot be treated as a final checklist before launch. It influences navigation, colour choices, typography, interactions and content structure from the very beginning. This project reinforced the importance of integrating accessibility into every stage of the design and development process, and it has since become an even stronger part of our methodology.
LESSON 3
Scalability shapes every
technical decision
When a platform is expected to welcome millions of visitors, infrastructure is not an afterthought—it is a core design constraint. From cloud architecture and deployment strategies to caching and performance optimisation, every technical decision was made with reliability, resilience and future growth in mind.
LESSON 4
Great project management is just as
important as great development
Coordinating multiple organisations, scientific experts and public institutions requires exceptional organisation. Clear documentation, structured reporting, detailed meeting minutes and precise task tracking were essential to ensure that every decision, request and approval remained transparent and aligned across all stakeholders. This project reaffirmed that successful digital delivery depends as much on communication and governance as it does on design and engineering.
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