OpenRocket is an free, fully featured model rocket simulator that allows you to design and simulate your rockets before actually building and flying them.

OpenRocket features a full six-degree-of-freedom simulation, realistic wind modeling, a multitude of different components including free-form fins and canted fins, clustering and staging. Read more about its features and see screenshots.

OpenRocket is an Open Source project licensed under the GNU GPL. This means that the software is free to use for whatever purposes, and the source code is also available for studying and extending.

OpenRocket needs help to become even better. Implementing features, writing documentation and creating example designs are just a few ways of helping. If you are interested in helping make OpenRocket the best rocket simulator out there, please Get involved!

Features:

General

Fully cross-platform, written in Java

Fully documented simulation methods

Open Source, source code available under the GNU GPL

User interface

Easy-to-use user interface for rocket design

Real-time view of CG and CP position

Real-time flight altitude, velocity and acceleration information from a continuous simulation performed in the background

Zoomable schematic view of rocket from the side or rear, with rotation around the center axis

Design

A multitude of available components to choose from

Trapezoidal, elliptical and free-form fins supported

Support for canted fins (roll stabilization)

Staging and clustering support

Automatic calculation of component mass and CG based on shape and density

Ability to override mass and CG of components or stages separately

Simulation and analysis

Full six degree of freedom simulation

Rocket stability computed using extended Barrowman method

Realistic wind modeling

Analysis of the effect of separate components on the stability, drag and roll characteristics of the rocket

Fully configurable plotting, with various preset configurations

Simulation data can be exported to CSV files for further analysis

Simulation listeners allowing custom-made code to interact with the rocket during flight simulation

Limitations: OpenRocket requires Java version 6 or later. The Sun Java Runtime is recommended.