A rocket landing simulator that fights back — real physics, in your browser
Most "rocket landing" games are a hover puzzle: nudge a triangle down onto a pad in a vacuum. LANDING BURN is a rocket landing simulator in the harder sense — it models the things that make bringing a real reusable booster home so unforgiving, and then asks you to do it. Free, no download, and it plays on your phone.
What's actually being simulated
- An exponential atmosphere that thins with altitude — so drag, control authority and heating all change as you fall.
- Grid fins as real control surfaces: they generate lift in proportion to how far you deflect them, and they stall at high angle of attack, so swinging tail-first after boostback is a genuine piloting skill, not a button press.
- Attitude-dependent reentry heating: point the engines into the airflow and you survive the plasma; go broadside and you cook.
- An honest suicide-burn predictor: the STOP marker models engine spool-up time and integrates your full-throttle arrest point, so it tells the truth about your margin.
- Fuel-as-score: every timid early burn costs leaderboard points, nudging you toward the fuel-optimal flying real boosters use.
Three vehicles, three problems
The simulator isn't one scenario on repeat. You fly a Falcon 9 onto a droneship, a Super Heavy into the tower's chopstick arms, and a Starship through a full Mars entry-descent-landing — different gravity, different air, different failure modes. The shared physics core means skills transfer, but each vehicle punishes a different mistake.
Built for desktop and thumb
On a computer you fly with the keyboard; on a phone the whole screen becomes a cockpit — one big BURN button and tilt-or-slider steering, with the controls below the viewport so your thumbs never cover the landing zone.
FAQ
- Is it really free?
- Yes — free, no download, no account needed to fly. Joining the leaderboard just asks for a callsign and email.
- Is this an official SpaceX simulator?
- No. It's an independent fan-made arcade simulation inspired by Falcon 9 landings, Super Heavy catches and the Starship Mars architecture.
- What's the best way to learn the timing?
- Read how the suicide burn works, then watch the STOP marker and burn as late as it allows. Fuel left is your score.