OpenRocket is a free, fully featured model rocket simulator that allows you to design and simulate your rockets before actually building and flying them.
π οΈ Design, Visualize, and Analyze
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Design your rockets using a rich selection of built-in components:

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Plot & Analyze your simulation results for precision and improvements:

π Features
- Six-degree-of-freedom flight simulation
- Automatic design optimization
- Realtime simulated altitude, velocity, and acceleration display
- Staging and clustering support
- Export to other simulation programs (RockSim, RASAero II)
- Export component(s) to OBJ file for 3D printing or SVG for laser cutting
- Cross-platform (Java-based)
... plus many more
π Read more on our website.
πΎ Installers
You can find the OpenRocket installers here.
Release notes are available on each release's page or on our website.
π Documentation
You can find our documentation on ReadTheDocs.
π Getting started
Check out our documentation for a detailled guide on how to get started.
The easiest way to get familiar with OpenRocket is to open one of our in-program example designs:
Dive into the essentials: adjust component dimensions, plot a simulation, swap out motors, ... Explore the impact of your changes and, most importantly, enjoy the process! π
π OpenRocket-related Projects & Tools
Note: If you have an OpenRocket-related project you would like included in the list, you can file a new issue for it.
Core Projects
| Project | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| openrocket/openrocket | Core project | Main simulator (Java) |
| openrocket/openrocket.github.io | Website source | Website content (Jekyll) |
| openrocket/openrocket-database | Data enhancement | Expanded parts catalog (originally dbcook/openrocket-database) |
Integration & Scripting
| Project | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| openrocket/orhelper | Integration (Python) | Python scripting/module for OpenRocket (via JPype) (forked from SilentSys/orhelper) |
| RocketPy-Team/RocketSerializer | Integration (Python) | Convert .ork files to RocketPy-compatible formats |
| SpaceTeam/ortools | Integration Tools (Python) | Scripts like 6DOF landing scatter visualization |
| schrum2/OpenRocketQD | Optimization tool (Python) | Quality Diversity optimization for rocket designs |
| waterloo-rocketry/or-monte-carlo | Simulation tool (Java) | Monte Carlo simulation wrapper for OpenRocket |
Engine & Aerodynamics Extensions
| Project | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SpaceTeam/ORLEG | Engine modeling (Python) | Liquid-engine generator for OpenRocket |
| WPI-HPRC/ORBrake (archived) | Plugin (Java) | Active drag control (air-brakes) |
Wind & Atmospheric Data
| Project | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ORWind | Atmospheric data utility | Fetches/imports multi-level wind data for OpenRocket |
| Aloft | Weather data utility | Retrieves weather/atmospheric profiles (winds, temp, pressure) for flight simulation |
Design & CAD Integration
| Project | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| FreeCAD Rocket Workbench | CAD workbench | A rocket design workbench for FreeCAD that can import OpenRocket .ork files |
Example Designs / Showcase
| Project | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| TrinetraOne-OpenRocket | Example designs | Showcase rocket project |
πͺ Contribute
Help us soar higher! Whether it's implementing features, writing documentation, or creating design examples, every contribution matters. Interested? Check out how to get involved and the practicalities of contributing.
β¨ Contributors
- Sampo Niskanen - Original developer
- Doug Pedrick - RockSim designs, printing
- Kevin Ruland - Android version
- Bill Kuker - 3D visualization
- Richard Graham - Geodetic computations
- Jason Blood - Freeform fin set import
- Boris du Reau - Internationalization
- Daniel Williams - Pod support, maintainer
- Joe Pfeiffer - Maintainer
- Billy Olsen - Maintainer
- Sibo Van Gool - RASAero file format, 3D OBJ export, dark theme, maintainer
- Neil Weinstock - Tester, icons, forum support
- H. Craig Miller - Tester
You can view the full list of contributors here.
πTranslators
- Tripoli France
- Tripoli Spain
- Stefan Lobas / ERIG
- Mauro Biasutti
- Sky Dart Team / Ruslan V. Uss
- Vladimir Beran
- Polish Rocketry Society / Εukasz & Alex Kazanski
- Sibo Van Gool
- Mohamed Amin Elkebsi
- Oleksandr Hladin
π License
OpenRocket is proudly open-source under the GNU GPL license. Feel free to use, study, and extend.
β Please give us a star if you find OpenRocket useful, and spread the word! β


