This page contains instructions on how to download and install the ORBITER simulator.

Please note that ORBITER is distributed "as is" and that I cannot guarantee that it will run on any particular system, nor can I accept responsibility for any problems arising from its use. See the Disclaimer for details.

• Check that your computer meets these requirements.
• Download ORBITER from one of the mirror sites.
• Install the ORBITER packages.

These are the minimum requirements to run ORBITER on your computer:

• 300 MHz PC or better (Pentium, Athlon, etc.)
• 128MB RAM or more
• Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP
• DirectX 7.0 or higher
• DirectX compatible 3D graphics accelerator card with at least 16MB of video RAM (32MB or more recommended) and DXT texture compression support.
• Approximately 60MB of free disk space for the minimum installation (additional high-resolution textures and addons will require more space).
• DirectX compatible joystick (optional)

There is nothing to prevent you from trying to run Orbiter on a computer with lower specs, but the results are not likely to be satisfactory.

Since ORBITER keeps evolving these specs tend to become obsolete over time. If you don't get a reasonable frame rate (say >= 20fps) using the default Orbiter.cfg on a machine which meets the specs then please drop me a note and I will correct the requirement list upward.

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	Downloading

ORBITER is distributed in a number of ZIP packages. You need to download these packages and then use an unzip utility such as WinZip to install them (newer Windows versions contain unzip facilities as a standard).

For a minimum installation, you need to download only the packages marked "required". Usually this will be the Base package (which contains the ORBITER program, core files and basic textures), and any essential Patch packages. All additional packages are optional.

Even if you have a high-performance computer, it is recommended that you download and install the minimum system first, and make sure everything is working properly, before installing any high-resolution packages and addons.

Please select a download mirror site close to your location.

The latest release version is 050216.

Important: Addons developed for earlier Orbiter versions may not be compatible with this release. If you rely on a legacy addon, make sure an upgraded version is available before installing the latest Orbiter version.

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	Installation

Installing ORBITER is very straightforward if you follow these steps:

• Create a new folder for ORBITER, for example \Program Files\Orbiter_050116.
• If a previous version of ORBITER is already installed on your computer, you should not install the new version into the same folder, because this could lead to file conflicts. You may want to keep your old installation until you have made sure that the new version works without problem. Multiple ORBITER installations can exist on the same computer.
• Download the Base package into your new ORBITER folder and unzip with WinZip or equivalent utility. Important: Take care to preserve the directory structure of the package (In WinZip, this requires to activate the "Use Folder Names" option).
• After unzipping the package, make sure that your Orbiter folder contains the executable (Orbiter.exe) and, among other files, the Config, Meshes, Scenarios and Textures subfolders.
• Run Orbiter.exe. This will bring up the ORBITER "Launchpad" dialog, where you can select video options and simulation parameters.
• You are now ready to start ORBITER. Select a scenario from the Launchpad dialog, and click the "ORBITER" button!
• If you run into problems during installation, you may want to check the Troubleshooting section of the FAQ.

To de-install ORBITER:

• Remove the Orbiter directory with all contents and subdirectories. ORBITER does not modify the registry or any system resources.

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