Client
BBC
Year
2026
Category
Link
BBC R&D's Future World Design team approached Beam Immersive to build an interactive web experience for BBC Newsround around the NASA Artemis 2 mission.
The brief responded to a real educational need, with research showing 1.5 million children weekly struggle to engage in learning across Newsround's 3.5 million weekly audience.
The goal was for children to absorb high-quality journalism while exploring and playing, using the mission route map as a central anchor through the story.
A gamified boarding pass mechanic rewarded children with a Newsround VIP Crew Member pass for collecting tokens across the experience.
Beam Immersive were selected as studio partner on the strength of prior collaboration with BBC R&D, having worked together on immersive environments for BBC Radio 1's Condense Reality project.
The experience was built in Three.js - a browser-based 3D approach that allowed the experience to run reliably on typical school hardware including older laptops, desktops and tablets, with mobile as a secondary target.
assets were modelled and optimised in blender, and nasa elevation data was used to build an accurate lunar surface.
Pre-rendered footage, music and sound design were produced to give the experience atmosphere without distracting from the learning.
Throughout production, a core design principle emerged: the experience had to work as an interactive educational experience first and a game second aligning with the editorial brief.
Iterative testing and regular feedback shaped key decisions around pacing, interaction simplicity and the timing of information.
Very well received by the target audience, with children describing it as "super fun" and an "epic" way to learn about space.
Rolled out in classrooms nationally, with teachers reporting strong active engagement from pupils.
Validated a new format for BBC Newsround — immersive 3D storytelling in service of journalism.
The cross-platform asset pipeline delivered value beyond Newsround, shared across BBC design, social and development teams.
A genuinely collaborative project that deepened our working relationship with the BBC and left us well placed for what comes next.
