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Shem Nyachieo, MBA
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GoldenPebbles

A space based interceptor that waits in low Earth orbit and stops a missile in its first minutes of flight. I invented the vehicle and built its whole product story, the way Anduril’s product illustrators explain a system to engineers and customers.

~6 km/s
Δv for each interceptor
< 2 min
Window to intercept in boost phase
3 to 5 yrs
Life of each host vehicle in low Earth orbit

Anduril’s product illustrators turn engineering into concepts of operation that executives and customers can act on. To show I could do that job, I took on a hard problem from today’s debate about space based missile defense: stopping a missile in boost phase, from orbit.

I invented one vehicle and built everything a program would need to explain it: the mission, the intercept sequence, the vehicle’s systems, and how it gets built at scale, in a dark version for screens and a light one for proposals.

Role
Product illustrator and narrative designer
Type
Self-initiated concept
Work
Mission, intercept, vehicle, and manufacturing
Tools
Illustrator, Photoshop, AI-assisted exploration

One scene carries the whole concept of operations: sensors in orbit spot a launch, Lattice links them to the interceptors, and Golden Pebbles strikes while the missile is still climbing. The network, the orbit, and the missile tracks are the live vectors from my Illustrator file.

Golden Pebbles concept of operations: host vehicles in low Earth orbit, a Lattice network over the Earth, missile tracks, and boost, mid-course, and terminal phase bands.

8 stops

The whole mission

One scene carries the whole concept of operations: sensors in orbit spot a launch, Lattice connects them to the interceptors, and Golden Pebbles strikes while the missile is still climbing.

Launch, detection, a decision, and the intercept, read the way the missile flies. The trajectory climbs as you scroll, and each step comes up as the line reaches it.

  1. 01

    Missile launch

    A ballistic, hypersonic, or cruise missile leaves the pad.

  2. 02

    Launch detection

    A ground based missile detector, the host vehicle, and the Space Based Infrared System all see the launch at once.

  3. 03

    Lattice detection and intercept approval

    Lattice fuses the tracks, picks the best interceptor, and a person approves the shot.

  4. 04

    Missile intercept

    Golden Pebbles releases a space based interceptor and strikes in boost phase.

A concept has to feel buildable. I drew the host space vehicle with every system called out, so an engineer can check each claim and an executive can follow along. Point at a system to trace it on the vehicle.

The Golden Pebbles host space vehicle, a dark winged craft with a ring of interceptors in its payload bay.

Thousands of interceptors only make sense if they are cheap to build. I placed Golden Pebbles on an automated Arsenal-1 line and broke the manufacturing story into five parts a customer can remember.

  1. Modern supply chainHigh-heritage parts and low-cost materials.
  2. Automated manufacturingRobotic assembly for speed and precision.
  3. Modular architectureSubsystems integrate quickly with minimal redesign.
  4. Lattice integrationDigital configuration, QA, and fleetwide updates.
  5. Rapid build and scaleParallel production lines support high-volume delivery.
Arsenal-1, an isometric factory where robots assemble Golden Pebbles vehicles on Lattice-linked lines, with finished vehicles stacked beside it.

The same narrative ships twice: dark for screens and the room, light for proposals and print. Drag the handle to compare them.

The light briefing version of Golden Pebbles: intercept architecture, host vehicle, and manufacturing on one page.
The dark mission version of Golden Pebbles with Arsenal-1 below.
‹ ›
Screens and the roomProposals and print

Every step was about one question: what does a viewer need to understand first, and what can wait.

Research: I started with how others draw missile defense: layered systems, ranges, and altitudes from Reuters, CNA, and the Golden Dome infographic. The question was what a viewer needs first, and what they can learn second.

Research

I started with how others draw missile defense: layered systems, ranges, and altitudes from Reuters, CNA, and the Golden Dome infographic. The question was what a viewer needs first, and what they can learn second.

Golden Pebbles is a self-initiated concept by Shem Nyachieo. It was not commissioned or produced by Anduril Industries, and the Anduril name and logo appear only as part of the concept. Research references: Reuters, CNA, and Lockheed Martin’s Golden Dome infographic. Manufacturing icons from the Noun Project.

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