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See how Qorbit stacks up against the alternatives and why competitive rocketry programs are making the switch.

Why Qorbit

Every existing flight computer is an altitude sensor that fires a charge. None of them guide your prep, review your data, or keep your team in sync.

$25–$55

Budget altimeters

Eggtimer Quark · PerfectFlite Pnut

Cheap and expendable
Windows-only software
Proprietary cables
No team features
No pre-flight guidance
$250–$400+

Premium flight computers

Altus Metrum TeleMega · EasyMega

Full sensor suite
GPS + telemetry
Complex setup
Java apps + optical USB
HAM license needed
Steep learning curve
Early access pricing

Qorbit Core

Flight computer + platform

<400 ms recovery response
Mobile-friendly data review
Guided pre-flight checklists
Shared team flight logs
Built for TARC / IREC / HPR
Built for how teams actually fly
What teams actually want

The dream outcome, built into the product.

Confidence on cert day

Walk up to the pad knowing your recovery system is armed, tested, and guided — not guessed.

Data without the hassle

Upload a CSV and review flight profiles instantly on any device. Compare flights. Share with teammates. No cables, no Java.

Knowledge that stays

When seniors graduate, flight data, configurations, and lessons learned stay with the team — not their laptop.

Faster iteration

Guided checklists and instant data mean less time debugging and more flights per season.

Platform vs. OpenRocket

Desktop sim tools haven't shipped a new idea in a decade.

OpenRocket, RockSim, and SpaceCAD are great at predicting altitudes for a single rocket on a single laptop. They're also where the story ends. Qorbit picks up where they stop — comparing predictions to reality, finding the best motor automatically, and keeping every flight in your team's shared library.

Sim-to-reality diff

Overlay your saved simulation on top of the actual flight data. See exactly where your model diverged and why.

Qorbit: Auto-detects drag, mass, and thrust mismatches

OpenRocket
RockSim
Qorbit

Motor sweep finder

Pick a rocket. Qorbit runs the sim across every certified motor and ranks them by apogee, max-Q, and ground hit speed.

Qorbit: Includes Thrustcurve.org motor library

OpenRocket
RockSim
~
Qorbit

Real-time team workspaces

Cert teams, school clubs, and IREC squads share a single rocket library. No more emailing .ork files around or hacking git on ZIP archives.

Qorbit: Built into Pro · multi-seat from day one

OpenRocket
RockSim
Qorbit

Connected flight computer

The simulation, the hardware, and the post-flight analysis are one product. Upload-by-USB is dead.

Qorbit: Qorbit Core hardware ships with the platform

OpenRocket
RockSim
Qorbit

OpenRocket is free, open-source, and great for what it does — Qorbit stands on its shoulders and adds the parts that have been on community wishlists for years.

Ready to see it in action?

Explore the full product or check pricing for your team.