Orbiter Space Flight Simulator

[Daerandin 16]

I had a look at the old astronomy topics, I've always had an interest in astronomy and space flight, so I would like to share this amazing space flight simulator in case it would interest some of you.

Orbiter

It is completely free, always has been. The developer is a British professor with the name Martin Schweiger. The last release was in 2016, but the project was recently open sourced and community members seem to have taken over continued development. There has not been any new releases there yet so the 2016 release is still the newest available.

I've been playing around with this simulator for many many years, since the early 2000's. The thing I really like about this simulator is that it has always had a strict focus on realism. There are not missions, not even any tutorials. It takes some time getting into it at first, as you will need to read the documentation to understand how to operate the available craft. Having an understanding of orbital mechanics is also important to properly enjoy this simulator. Since it focuses in near-future technology, the physics are only newtonian, which is more than accurate enough for regular spaceflight within our solar system.

Mods is a big part of Orbiter, although I have not really been paying attention to that community lately. Some years back things were scattered around a bit, now it seems like everything is located at the orbiter forum in the downloads section, seems like the full game files are also available there: Orbiter Forum

One mod I consider essential is XRSound, as it adds sound to Orbiter. Without this mod it is not quite as immersive. I'm also a huge fan of the XR Fleet ships: Delta Glider XR1, XR2 Ravenstar, XR5 Vanguard. Those ships have full damage simulation (overheating during re-entry, wing stress damage, ground collision damage), crew oxygen usage, and even electrical system overheating so you need to deploy an external radiator when outside the atmosphere to prevent internal overheating.

I hope someone else might find some enjoyment with Orbiter. I have always loved it since I first found it.

[Crusader1307 298]

Very Cool submission........

Look forward to giving it a try soon (time permitting).