SimpleRockets 2

SimpleRockets 2 is a 3D aerospace sandbox from Jundroo, the same small studio behind SimplePlanes. The core loop is straightforward: design a craft in the build editor, configure your staging, and hurl it into a physics simulation that runs on genuine Keplerian orbital equations. That last part matters. Gravity turns, apoapsis/periapsis management, Hohmann transfers to reach other bodies in the solar system - none of it is hand-waved. The game tracks delta-V, thrust-to-weight ratio, and engine Isp in a live Performance Analysis window while you build, which means you can catch a catastrophically under-fueled upper stage before you ever hit the launchpad. That is the kind of feedback loop I want in a sim. The part roster is smaller than what KSP veterans might expect, but the design philosophy is different: parts here are highly procedural. Fuel tanks stretch and reshape to your target dimensions, fairings are assembled modularly, cargo bays resize, and landing gear is fully customizable. Engine choice has real trade-offs - the kerosene-fueled Mage puts out serious thrust, while the Ion Engine is nearly useless for getting off the ground but becomes your best friend on long interplanetary burns once you learn to let Vizzy, the game's built-in visual programming language, run those multi-hour automated burns without babysitting the throttle. Vizzy alone adds a surprising ceiling of depth: scripted launch sequences, automated circularization burns, conditional staging logic. That is not beginner territory, but it is genuinely rewarding territory. New players should not be scared off. The 17 structured challenges ramp from "reach 100 km altitude" to lunar landings with timed constraints, and the ability to pause mid-flight and adjust throttle, trajectory, or activate stages manually keeps early failures instructive rather than punishing. If building from scratch feels overwhelming on day one, the community sharing system lets you download thousands of user-uploaded crafts, fly them, and reverse-engineer what makes them work. That is the fastest tutorial that exists. Sandbox mode lets you launch multiple crafts simultaneously, dock with them in orbit to build space stations or refueling depots, and the career mode adds contracts, milestones, a tech tree, and money management for players who want a structured progression rather than a blank canvas. The honest friction points: the 3D build editor has a learning curve that trips people up early, particularly around staging order and fine-tuning part placement. Hinged and articulating parts can introduce physics instability on high-acceleration designs - the community calls it the Kraken, KSP players will feel at home with that frustration. Some players in the community have flagged update cadence as inconsistent, and there are rough edges that suggest the game spent a long time in early access. Worth noting: the game has since been rebranded as Juno: New Origins on Steam, with a career mode, Planet Studio for building custom celestial bodies, and mod support all added post-launch. Mod support in particular opens the game up considerably - community mods exist for expanded part sets and orbital mechanics tooling. If you are comparing this to KSP, the honest answer is that SR2 offers more accessible entry points, better performance on mid-range hardware, procedural part flexibility KSP cannot match out of the box, and a smaller but active modding scene. It is not a replacement for KSP at its modded peak, but it holds its own weight as a sim that respects the numbers.

Diego · Scout Team

Strategy & simulation

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