openrocket24.12

OpenRocket lets you design a model rocket and simulate its flight before committing to construction or launch. Its six-degree-of-freedom simulator tracks more than 50 variables, while live displays show altitude, velocity, and acceleration as the flight unfolds. Graphs and export tools support detailed analysis of simulation results, including the effects of staging and motor clusters.

The CAD-style design workspace represents component dimensions, material density, and exterior finish, and it includes a large library of parts and materials alongside tools for creating and saving custom entries. Design drawings can be exported to PDF for construction, while center of pressure, center of gravity, maximum altitude, maximum velocity, and stability update immediately as you edit the model. An AI assistant can adjust design parameters toward a chosen optimization goal, helping explore rockets intended to fly higher or remain airborne longer.

Users can incorporate multistage flights, dual deployment, and other event triggers, then arrange clustered motors using preset layouts and tune the configuration to match the model. Motor selection draws on data from ThrustCurve.org, with filters and search tools for finding motors suited to the rocket’s specifications. It is aimed at students, hobbyists, and rocket designers testing new builds or reproducing existing models in simulation.

OpenRocket 24.12 runs on Linux with snapd on x86_64 (amd64) systems and is open-source software in the Education category.