Deep Tech / Space

Even rocket science can be explained simply.

I delivered the complete copy for the redesigned constellr.com. Every page is now written as strategic content.

Client Constellr

Year 2025

My role Lead UX Writer & Content Strategist

Tools

Figma Notion Confluence

Results

0 of 9

direct competitors combined plain language with an institutional audience — Constellr was the first

Content-first

workflow adopted from day one — copy drove design, not the other way around

Extra mile

client noted the team went beyond contract scope to deliver strategic quality

Company and product

Constellr is a German deep-tech startup that owns and operates its own thermal satellites in orbit. They deliver the world's most accurate commercially available thermal intelligence — measuring surface temperature from space for clients in agriculture, construction, and climate monitoring. Their rare differentiator: they own the hardware. Most competitors sell roadmaps and promises. Constellr delivers data today.

As demand from government and institutional clients grew, Constellr needed to change orbit. They had agricultural roots — but by the time they came to us, that chapter was behind them. The challenge: help a company with one identity earn trust from buyers who were expecting a different one. And write for two audiences with opposite expectations, without alienating either.

“Government buyers view startups with suspicion. Sometimes it's a dealbreaker. They need proven stability and operational certainty.”

Scope of work

I joined this project at Flying Bisons as lead UX writer and content strategist. The scope covered the full website rebuild — homepage, product pages, use case narratives, about and careers sections. Every word was written as strategic content: backed by competitive research, audience analysis, and a tone of voice framework built specifically for this project.

Website copy — all pages

Tone of voice framework

Competitive content analysis

Use case narratives

Strategic messaging framework

Domain research

Understanding the domain

I wasn't in every stakeholder meeting — but the recordings were. I went through hours of client conversations to absorb how the Constellr team talked about their own technology: what they emphasised, what they glossed over, what made them visibly proud. That language became source material. Desk research and competitor analysis filled the rest.

Competitor content audit

I audited nearly 20 direct competitors and adjacent players across Earth observation, defence aerospace, and data intelligence platforms. The goal wasn't inspiration — it was mapping the communication landscape Constellr would have to stand out in.

Company	Model	Sector	Communication style	Tone	Plain?
NASA	B2C / B2G	Space, Earth obs., science	Plain language + storytelling. Reference model for accessible government communication.	Plain Storytelling	Yes
ICEYE	B2B / B2G	SAR imagery, defence, disaster response	Technical-military. Precise, jargon-heavy.	Military	No
Planet Labs	B2B / B2G	Earth observation, agri, government	Accessible + environmental mission narrative. Closer to storytelling than military.	Storytelling	Partial
OroraTech	B2B / B2C	Wildfire detection, thermal satellites	Hero narrative — client as protagonist saving the world from fires.	Storytelling	Partial
Vantor ex-Maxar	B2G / B2B	Satellite imagery, defence, intelligence	Corporate-technical, government-grade. Heavy on credentials and capability specs.	Corporate	No
Airbus D&S	B2B / B2G	Defence, aerospace, satellites	Corporate-technical. Jargon-heavy, traditional defence communication.	Corporate	No
Northrop Grumman	B2G	Defence, space systems	Military-corporate. Very formal, jargon dominates.	Military	No
Palantir	B2G / B2B	Data analytics, intelligence	Direct and bold — relatively clean for the government sector.	Military	Partial
ASML	B2B	Semiconductor equipment	Communication benchmark: extremely complex technology, increasingly well-explained.	Technical	Partial

The Jargon Paradox

Why complexity isn't credibility

Every established competitor I analysed used heavy technical language. Not because it helped users understand — but because complexity felt like credibility. The implicit logic: if it sounds difficult, it must be serious.

This assumption has a long history. Military communication was once a model of brevity. Churchill's 1940 brevity memorandum famously demanded shorter documents during wartime. But as Cold War-era technology programmes grew, the language inflated again. NASA-era technical writing became the new default for the entire sector. And it stuck.

Research tells a different story. UK Government's own content studies show that plain language increases perceived expertise, not decreases it. Readers trust what they understand. Jargon signals effort; clarity signals confidence.

0 of 9

direct competitors combined plain language with a government or institutional audience. That gap was Constellr's opportunity — and language could be a differentiator as meaningful as the satellites themselves.

Tone of voice

Defining the voice

I mapped three distinct communication models operating in the space sector: military-style language, plain language (NASA-style), and storytelling. Constellr's leadership chose plain language combined with operational authority — not storytelling, not jargon. Three tone attributes guided everything written.

Model A

Military register

Defence-heavy companies mirroring military language. Terse, operational, hierarchy-aware.

Model B · Constellr

Plain language + precision

Government-facing platforms (NASA, UK GOV style). Accessible, task-oriented, built for clarity.

Chosen direction

Model C

Storytelling / hero narrative

Environmental monitoring companies positioning the client as protagonist saving the planet.

Plain Professional Accessible

Key writing decisions

Content-first, not content-last. On most projects, copy arrives after design. I pushed for the opposite: write first, design around the content. With a tight timeline and a strategic pivot that lived entirely in the messaging, waiting for mockups would have produced worse copy and created a bottleneck. Content became the backbone of the entire project.

Language as a competitive asset. Every established competitor used heavy technical language as a proxy for credibility. Research consistently shows plain language builds more trust, not less. Among all direct competitors analysed, not one combined plain language with a government or institutional audience. That gap was Constellr's opportunity.

Frame the pivot as urgency, not retreat. The move from agriculture to government markets could have sounded defensive. Instead, I framed it as a limited-time opportunity: orbital slots are finite, satellite launches are rare, early partners secure a permanent advantage. Constellr wasn't moving away from something — they were opening a door that wouldn't stay open forever.

Copy in practice

What the Jargon Paradox looks like on the page

The homepage hero is the clearest illustration of the content strategy in action.

Industry default

Leveraging our proprietary multi-spectral thermal sensing infrastructure and advanced Earth Observation capabilities, our enterprise-grade platform delivers actionable geospatial intelligence for complex operational environments.

Technically accurate. Completely opaque. Indistinguishable from any competitor.

What I wrote

Optical satellites see structures. Radar satellites see through clouds. Our satellites see heat patterns = human activity, infrastructure load, and environmental stress.

Three parallel sentences. Same technical depth. Zero jargon. The "=" translates sensor data into intelligence without losing precision.

Solution

I delivered the complete copy for the redesigned constellr.com — every page written as strategic content, not filler. The tone of voice framework gave the client a replicable voice they could carry beyond the launch. The content-first workflow meant designers had clear, final copy to work with from early in the process — no placeholder text, no late-stage rewrites. The project was contracted as a website copy refresh. It became something closer to a brand repositioning.

Results

0 of 9

direct competitors combined plain language with an institutional audience — Constellr was the first

Content-first

workflow adopted from day one — copy drove design, not the other way around

Extra mile

client noted the team went beyond contract scope to deliver strategic quality

No post-launch metrics were shared — the project concluded before measurement data became available. What's documented: strong client satisfaction expressed consistently at stakeholder touchpoints, and a strategic repositioning implemented in full.

Treat this as a collaborative partnership, not a transactional engagement. Flying Bisons brings strong thinking, moves quickly, and will go the extra mile to deliver high-quality results.

Conner Reinhardt — Chief of Staff, Constellr

What I learned

In a sector where every player sounds the same, a clear voice can be a competitive asset.