OpenRocket
The free, open-source model rocket simulator. Design rockets, run six-degree-of-freedom flight simulations, and optimize your designs — all before your first build.
Get started
Installation
Download and install OpenRocket on Windows, macOS, or Linux. Packaged installers include the correct Java runtime.
Getting Started
Open example designs, explore the interface, and run your first simulation in minutes.
Basic Rocket Design
Learn how to assemble nose cones, body tubes, fin sets, and more using the component editor.
Core features
6DOF Flight Simulation
Full six-degree-of-freedom simulation using Runge-Kutta 4 integration. Compute apogee, velocity, acceleration, and more.
Rocket Design Editor
Build rockets from a rich set of components — nose cones, body tubes, fins, transitions, inner tubes, and mass objects.
Automatic Optimization
Optimize any rocket parameter for maximum altitude, velocity, or stability using the built-in optimizer.
Stability Analysis
Real-time CG and CP display using the extended Barrowman method. Per-component drag and roll analysis.
Thrust Curves and Motors
Access thousands of certified motors from ThrustCurve.org. Import custom RASP (.eng) and RockSim (.rse) thrust curve files.
Simulation Extensions
Extend simulations with custom Java listeners, compute user-defined expressions, and integrate external code.
For developers
Architecture Overview
Understand OpenRocket’s two-module structure: the headless
core library and the Swing-based swing GUI.Using OpenRocket Core
Embed the simulation engine in your own Java application. Load designs, run simulations, and access results programmatically.
Development Setup
Set up your development environment, build with Gradle, and run OpenRocket from source.
Contributing
Guidelines for submitting pull requests, writing tests, and maintaining code quality standards.
About OpenRocket
OpenRocket was originally created by Sampo Niskanen in 2009 as part of his master’s thesis at Helsinki University of Technology (now Aalto University). It is written entirely in Java, making it fully cross-platform, and is released under the GNU GPL v3 license.Features
Full feature list and comparison with RockSim.
FAQ
Answers to common questions about installation, simulation, and design.
Contribute
Help improve OpenRocket by contributing code, documentation, or translations.