Introduction

OpenRocket Introduction (Simplified)

What is OpenRocket?

OpenRocket is an open‑source program used to design and simulate model rockets. It was created in 2009 by Sampo Niskanen as part of his master’s thesis at the Helsinki University of Technology. The thesis is available on the OpenRocket technical documentation page.

OpenRocket is written in Java, so it works on all major operating systems. If you need help installing or launching it, see the Downloading & Installing section.

OpenRocket helps rocketeers predict rocket performance before building and flying. It calculates aerodynamic properties and simulates flight, producing detailed technical results.

Main Parts of the Program

1. Rocket Design

You build a virtual rocket using:

Body components

Trapezoidal, elliptical, or free‑form fins

Internal components

Mass objects

During design, OpenRocket shows:

Size

Mass

Apogee

Max velocity

Max acceleration

Stability

Center of gravity (CG)

Center of pressure (CP)

This gives you a good idea of performance before running simulations.

2. Flight Simulation

You can run simulations using different motor configurations. OpenRocket uses a Runge‑Kutta 4 solver to compute flight data.

Note: There is no graphical flight animation yet.

How This Guide Is Organized

This guide explains how to use OpenRocket. Developer information (building from source, contributing, packaging) is on the Developer Wiki.

You are currently in Section 1: Introduction.

Section Overview

Downloading & Installing – How to install Java, check if it’s installed, and launch OpenRocket.

Getting Started – Basic orientation for all users.

Basic Rocket Design – Learn to build simple rockets.

Basic Flight Simulation – Learn to run basic simulations.

Advanced Rocket Design – For experienced users designing complex rockets.

Advanced Flight Simulation – For advanced simulation setups.

Rocket Analysis – How to analyze and optimize your rocket.

Custom Expressions – Covers simulation listeners for advanced monitoring.

Simulation Listeners – Extra features not covered earlier.

Component Details – Full list of rocket components and their uses.

Good reading!