Life & fun · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to Kerbal Space Program
Second only to working at Space X
Kerbal Space Program is a space exploration simulation where players assemble spacecraft from individual parts and launch them based on realistic physics and aerodynamics. Users guide their Kerbal crew to orbit, land… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Kerbal Space Program launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.
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I (17y/o) have been developing a rocket launch simulation that allows the user to explore what it's like launching a rocket from earth and putting it into orbit. This idea originally started as an educational simulation but as i've gone more down the rabbit hole the more i've wanted to make it realistic. The problem is that I've never had a formal orbital mechanics class or anything like that so I don't know what I'm missing, what I currently have implemented is: Variable gravity Variable Atmospheric drag (US Standard Atmosphere 1976) Multi-stage rockets Closed-loop guidance /…
Jan 2026 · donutthejedi.com · its alternatives →
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Try (and fail) to land Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket
2015 · scratch.mit.edu · its alternatives →
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Pilot the SpaceX Dragon 2 vehicle to the ISS!
2020 · iss-sim.spacex.com · its alternatives →
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Lunar lander type game with computational fluid dynamics - s-macke/Interplanetary-Postal-Service
2018 · github.com · its alternatives →
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Sandbox game focused on building a space station
2015 · store.steampowered.com · its alternatives →
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Just for fun and self education, I've built this over a weekend to teach myself why orbits exist, not just show planets going around. Something that was never clearly explain to me in school. It opens with a guided tour that builds the idea up step by step: two bodies and the equal/opposite force, inertia (the Sun is removed and Earth just drifts straight), then "an orbit is falling and continuously missing," cosmic velocities with a little rocket, Voyager 1 & 2's real gravity assists (the clock runs the actual 1977–1989 dates so the planets orbit into their grand-tour alignment and the…
Jun 2026 · qunabu.github.io · its alternatives →
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Did this a few years ago. Seems apropos. Sources and more here: https://github.com/EngineersNeedArt/Mooncraft2000
Apr 2026 · mooncraft2000.com · its alternatives →
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Long-awaited 1.0 release of this bizarre space game is here.
2015 · store.steampowered.com · its alternatives →
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I built this with Claude cause I always wanted to tinker with a simulation economoy and I love space themes. A space-economy sim where nothing is scripted. A few hundred autonomous ships each run their own planner. Some chase the best trade route, take a delivery contract, refuel, retrofit at a shipyard, or dock so the crew can rest before morale tanks. Markets price everything off supply with shortage-urgency multipliers, factions tax and subsidize, populations migrate when they're unhappy, and stations that go broke get abandoned and rot. It started as an Elixir/Phoenix prototype, but…
Jul 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
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Inspiring the next generation of spaceflight, interactively
2021 · its alternatives →
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SPACEPLAN▲73Work on your spaceship while doing other stuff
2016 · jhollands.co.uk · its alternatives →
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Astroneer▲98A game of aerospace industry and interplanetary exploration
2015 · astroneer.space · its alternatives →
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SpaceSim▲7Explore a free 3D space simulator in your browser. Travel across the Solar System, change time, inspect source-backed worlds, and collect postcards.
Jul 2026 · spacesim.co · its alternatives →
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Star Command ▲60Simple and fun 8-bit timing based starship simulator.
2015 · starcommandgame.com · its alternatives →
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Build and manage space outposts on the Moon and Mars in this realistic simulation game. From the first step on the Moon to Mars colonization, launch rockets, take care of your astronauts and expand your base as you explore the cosmos. No grind, just pure management and exploration fun.
2023 · store.steampowered.com · its alternatives →
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StellarX▲107Create collaborative spaces & rich simulations without code
2020 · ova.ai · its alternatives →
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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →