Welcome to the pad
start hereBuild it. Fly it.
Find out how high.
Pick a rocket, load a real engine, check today's wind, and watch what happens — before you ever step on the field!
How It Works
four decisions, then you flyFour things to decide, then you fly
The same four calls you make standing in a field, except here you can change your mind and try again.
Pick your rocket
29 real kits with real dimensions — nose cone, body tube, fins, and the parachute or streamer that brings it home.
Load an engine
34 engines, from a quarter-A up through the big ones. Bigger letter, more push. Learn to read the code on the side.
Check the weather
Type in your town and pull today's real wind, temperature, and elevation. Or dial up your own conditions.
Set the pad
Aim the launch rod into the wind, turn the safety key, and press the button. Then go find where it landed.
The numbers are the real ones
Nothing here is a guess. If the simulator says 412 feet, that is what the math says the rocket does.
Published thrust curves
Estes motor data — total impulse, burn time, peak thrust, propellant mass, delay. The same figures on the package.
Today, where you are
Live wind, temperature, and field elevation for the town you type in. Thin air and a stiff breeze both change the flight.
Drag, stability, drift
Fin geometry, center of gravity, rod speed, angle of attack, and where the parachute takes it after apogee.
Safety
before you fly for realThe simulator is practice. The field has rules.
Flying a real rocket is the fun part, and it stays fun by doing the same few things every single time.
- A grown-up runs the pad and the launch controller. Always — no exceptions, no matter how many flights you've done.
- Follow the NAR Model Rocket Safety Code. The simulator flags it when your setup breaks one of the rules.
- Do not launch above 20 mph wind. You will not get the rocket back, and you may not get it back safely.
- Keep the launch rod within 30° of vertical, tipped into the wind. Angling into the wind is what brings it down near the pad instead of three fields over.
- Big open field, no dry grass, everyone behind the line at the countdown. Look up before you launch, and never walk back to a rocket that didn't fire until the grown-up says so.