Avocado360 produced a 360° VR film inside the Beyond Gravity production facility in Emmen, Switzerland — filmed during active manufacturing of payload fairings for Ariane 6. No staging. No second chances. The production line kept running.
The result: a film that places the viewer, without narration, at the centre of a spacecraft factory — conveying in seconds what no photograph ever could.
A 360° VR film shot inside the Beyond Gravity production hall in Emmen, during active manufacturing of payload fairings for Ariane 6 — across multiple visits over several months.
A 20-metre carbon-fibre fairing half-shell cannot be photographed. You have to stand before it. 360° gives viewers exactly that — without being physically present.
No staging. No retakes. Production schedules did not pause for the camera. One section of the hall could not appear in the film — despite being ten metres tall and entirely immovable.
A 360° VR film that Beyond Gravity has deployed continuously since 2023 — at trade fairs worldwide, in staff onboarding, on YouTube. Subsequently converted for fulldome projection.
"It helps us communicate complex technology in a clear, engaging and genuinely immersive way."
— Philipp Bircher, VP Communications & Branding, Beyond GravityAt an altitude of 120 kilometres, as re-entry heat begins to ease and the sky turns black, something unremarkable happens. The largest component of the rocket falls away. Built to tolerances measured in fractions of a millimetre — and then never used again.
In Emmen, Canton Lucerne, Beyond Gravity builds things that go to space. Their payload fairings — two half-shells of carbon-fibre composite, clad in carbon and cork on the outside, aluminium honeycomb within — stand up to 20 metres tall and 5.4 metres wide. A single half-shell weighs between 900 kilograms and 1.3 tonnes.
Their purpose: to protect the satellite during ascent through the atmosphere. Heat. Noise. Vibration. Moisture. Then, at 120 kilometres altitude, pyrotechnic bolts fire. The shells separate. The satellite is free. The fairing falls. Since the first Ariane launch in 1979, Beyond Gravity has built more than 250 such fairings — for Ariane 5, Ariane 6, Vega-C, Vulcan Centaur. All manufactured in Emmen, through a largely automated, autoclave-free process. Before delivery, two synchronised robots inspect each half-shell with ultrasound — to an accuracy of under 400 micrometres.
One of the half-shells inside the Composite Centre in Emmen. Behind it, the ultrasound inspection system with two synchronised robotic arms.
What is built in Switzerland travels halfway around the world. From Emmen to Kourou, French Guiana — to the European spaceport where Ariane 6 awaits.
Urs Wyss recalls the first conversation with Beyond Gravity clearly. "They showed me photographs of the facility. I could see large carbon-fibre structures. But I didn't feel what they meant. In a photograph, a 20-metre fairing half-shell looks like an industrial component. Standing in front of one is an entirely different experience."
At trade fairs, in recruitment conversations, and during media presentations, Beyond Gravity meets people who have never set foot inside a spacecraft factory. For them, the difference between "very large" and "as tall as a six-storey building, built to the nearest fraction of a millimetre" is not a technical detail — it is the whole point. That difference cannot be explained. It has to be felt.
"There is only one medium that can do this. You have to stand there. And if you cannot be there physically — you need 360°."
— Urs Wyss, Avocado360
A fairing is not made in a day. Manufacturing a single half-shell takes months. Avocado360 had to adapt entirely to the rhythm of the production facility — not the other way around. That meant multiple visits across several months, each lasting half a day, each beginning at six in the morning. No staging. No "once more, please." No second chance.
Left: The camera rig positioned inside the production hall. Right: The Avocado360 team on location — six in the morning, production running.
Timing was everything — and the hardest thing to manage. Last-minute schedule changes were routine. A delivery shift, a change in the production sequence, a new handover time — and the shoot plan had to be rebuilt in hours. That kind of adaptability under pressure is not improvised; it comes from experience. Coordination with Beyond Gravity's production manager was essential at every stage.
Then there was a problem that could not be anticipated.
One section of the hall could not appear in the film. There was no sign, no covering, no way to hide it. It was simply there — ten metres tall, fixed, in the middle of the space. In a 360° film, there is no frame to crop. There is no off-camera. The solution: positioning the rig with centimetre precision so that the restricted area fell directly behind the camera housing itself. "It was one of the most demanding camera placements I have ever made. There was no room for error."
Close collaboration with the Beyond Gravity team — essential at every stage of the shoot.
What made the film possible was teamwork. Working in step with Beyond Gravity's staff at each camera position, at each critical moment. At the time, Avocado360 was working with multiple Insta360 Pro cameras — and one of the first FPV drones the studio had ever built.
"In addition to using them at international trade fairs to get customers and partners excited about Beyond Gravity's products, we regularly use the VR films when onboarding new colleagues. They provide a realistic insight into our production environments even without being on site and can be used flexibly for different target groups. The resulting 360° film is now used on Oculus headsets at trade shows worldwide. It helps us communicate complex technology in a clear, engaging and genuinely immersive way."
Philipp Bircher
Vice President Communications & Branding, Beyond Gravity
Beyond Gravity — "How We Do Payload Fairings", 360° VR, 2023.
The film runs approximately two minutes. It explains nothing. It places the viewer — without commentary — at the centre of the production hall. Those wearing a VR headset are simply there. Those watching on YouTube can turn their view freely, and understand within seconds what no further explanation would improve.
The Beyond Gravity film under the dome — Planetarium of the Swiss Museum of Transport, Lucerne.
What was conceived as a 360° VR film for headsets and trade fairs proved more versatile than anticipated. After delivery, Avocado360 converted the film for fulldome — the hemispherical projection surface used in planetariums and dome theatres. The Planetarium of the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne screened the film as part of a presentation.
This kind of retrospective conversion is technically demanding — and in Switzerland, it is a speciality of Avocado360. A film produced for VR headsets can, under the right conditions, function equally well beneath a dome. That substantially expands the deployment horizon — and the return on investment.
Technology that cannot be touched must be experienced. Not explained.
Beyond Gravity has continued to deploy the film since its completion — at trade fairs, in onboarding, across media presentations. One film. No further production costs. No expiry date.
The hall in Emmen still stands. The fairings built there are flying.
Can 360° VR be filmed inside an active industrial facility without disrupting production?
Yes — that was precisely the challenge at Beyond Gravity. Avocado360 adapted to the production schedule entirely, working across multiple visits over several months, always arriving before the shift began. No staging. No interruption to the running facility. Close coordination with the production team was central to making it work.
Can a 360° VR film be converted for fulldome and planetarium use after production?
Under the right conditions, yes. Avocado360 converted the Beyond Gravity film for the Planetarium of the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne — making Avocado360 likely the only studio in Switzerland that masters both 360° VR production and fulldome conversion.
How long does a 360° VR industrial film remain useful?
Beyond Gravity has deployed the film regularly since 2023 — at international trade fairs, in staff onboarding, and on YouTube. No further production costs. No expiry date. A well-made 360° VR film typically pays for itself many times over across its lifespan.
How much does a 360° VR film for industry cost?
Pricing depends on complexity, number of shoot days, and post-production scope. Avocado360 provides a detailed, no-obligation quote on request — specific to the project, with real figures. Get in touch →
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