Manual control · A/D pitch · W/S throttle · Z full · X cut · Space stage
Flight debrief
How to fly
New to rockets? Open 🎓 Learn for animated lessons, or 🧠Guide me for a step-by-step first launch.
Design. Pick a nose cone, body shape, fins, engines and tank sizes for up to three stages. The analysis panel shows mass, thrust-to-weight, Δv and stability.
Launch. The flight computer follows the flight plan you chose. Spent stages drop off automatically.
Reach orbit. You need roughly 3,400 m/s of Δv and a periapsis above the 70 km atmosphere.
What makes a rocket fail
Thrust-to-weight below 1: it never leaves the pad.
Unstable aerodynamics (centre of pressure ahead of centre of mass) with weak steering: it tumbles and snaps.
Too much drag or too little Δv: it runs out of fuel and falls back.
Too much thrust low down, or a weak body: dynamic pressure tears it apart.
Controls
Drag orbit camera · Scroll zoom · M map · ,. time warp · Space stage · Esc hangar
Manual flight: A/D pitch · W/S throttle · Z full · X cut