The new frontier. The Mk-II is the newest space vehicle developed by Dawn Aerospace, a kiwi company focused on reinventing the way we access space. The Mk-II will reach lower orbit several times a day and deliver hardware into space with low operational costs.

In order to make the aerodynamics of the spaceplane more graphically explicit and appealing, “flow paths” were incorporated on both sides of the vehicle, lines that folloe the main air flow trajectories up and around the wings; this simple and clear strategy will provide an unique and organic visual identity to the spaceplane when on ground level (ex. during taxi, take-off, parked, loading packages). The colours will also fade in direction to the front nose of the plane, creating a sense of speed and aerodynamic.

Considering the use of the vehicle and the available areas for the paint job, the main focus was given to the bottom part of the spaceplane since this will be the most visible surface of the vehicle when flying. By taking advantage of the large area provided by this delta wing, it was possible to nicely insert the company logo following the existing geometry and optimizing the painted surfacce, by this way making the company identity very visible from the ground, turning the spaceplane into an unique and remarkable sighting experience. Placing core information of the company in the bottom of the spaceplane is a very efficient and appealing design strategy also adopted by other aerospace companies, such as Virgin Galactic. In addition to this, the top of the wing will also have a small reference to the company logotype.