Launch Window is a management sim about early commercial spaceflight in an alternate-history 1960s. Run a private launch company alongside the national space programs, chasing contracts while the Cold War and the Space Race unfold around you.

CONTRACTS AND CLIENTS

Film studios want cameras above the atmosphere. Medical boards need biological experiments returned safely. Broadcasters want relays in orbit. Other clients bring private passengers, press observers, station modules, and classified cargo.

Every contract has its own deadline, reward, and mission requirements. Reach a target altitude, fly downrange, remain above the atmosphere, recover a passenger, or place a payload into a stable orbit.

FLIGHT DESIGN

Choose from period launch vehicles including the Mercury-Redstone, Mercury-Atlas, Saturn IB, and Saturn V. Match the vehicle to the payload, set the launch azimuth, shape the ascent, adjust staging, and study the predicted trajectory before committing to flight.

Then decide how much preparation the mission can afford. More time and money can improve the odds, but every precaution cuts into the contract's value. Spend too little and a failure may cost the vehicle, the payload, and your reputation.

When the window opens, launch. Follow the mission from the pad through staging, orbit, reentry, and recovery.

HISTORICAL HEADLINES

Newspapers chronicle the Space Race while your own successes and failures make headlines. Build your reputation, take on more ambitious work, and try to keep a private space company alive as the 1960s space age gathers speed.

FEATURES

• Manage a private launch company in an alternate-history Space Race

• Take cargo, passenger, orbital, and classified contracts

• Design missions around detailed flight requirements

• Fly four historic American launch vehicles

• Balance preparation, risk, reputation, and cash

• Follow historical news as the space age unfolds