# orbitersim/orbiter

Open-source repository of Orbiter Space Flight Simulator

Repository: https://github.com/orbitersim/orbiter
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/orbiter
Language: C++
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-08-10T03:36:13+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 66/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 97, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1863, "days_push": 23, "days_rel": 610, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1972, forks 278 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:00.985709+00:00)

## What it is
Orbiter is an open-source space flight simulator based on Newtonian mechanics, letting users pilot historic, hypothetical, or fictional spacecraft across the solar system. It is a free-form sandbox with no predefined missions, focused on realistic orbital mechanics like ascent, rendezvous, and interplanetary travel.

## Use cases
- simulate realistic orbital mechanics and spaceflight
- practice rendezvous and docking with a space station
- plan and fly interplanetary missions
- learn how real ascent-to-orbit works
- fly historic or fictional spacecraft in the solar system
- develop custom spacecraft or graphics addons

## When to choose
- you want a realistic, physics-based spaceflight sandbox rather than an arcade game
- you want to learn orbital mechanics hands-on
- you want an extensible, open-source simulator you can modify or build addons for

## When to avoid
- you want predefined missions, combat, or trading gameplay
- you need a cross-platform simulator (it is Windows-only and 32-bit)
- you prefer casual, easy-to-pick-up space games

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: simulation, graphics, game-engine
- domain: simulation, gaming-tools, education, astronomy
- platform: windows, cpp
- tags: spaceflight-simulator, newtonian-physics, solar-system, open-source-game, spacecraft, desktop

## Member repositories
- orbitersim/orbiter (main) score 66

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:00.985709+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:05:02.842763+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/orbitersim/orbiter (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:00.985709+00:00, sha d6109be92e43)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.