Each flight starts at either 10,000 feet, already aligned with the runway, or at up to 50,000 feet, before banking into the heading alignment cone. During descent, the Orbiter is an unpowered glider, so you will only have one chance to get it right. Astronauts used to call it a flying brick: because of its 200,000 lbs. gross weight and low lift over drag ratio, the approach is six times steeper and two times faster than a typical airliner approach. After your first safe touchdown, chase that perfect landing, compare your high scores online with your friends, earn medals, and unlock achievements. Experiment with different wind conditions, night approaches, and even emergency scenarios or system failures. At the end of each flight, watch a replay from different camera angles.

Each flight starts at either 10,000 feet, already aligned with the runway, or at up to 50,000 feet, before banking into the heading alignment cone. During descent, the Orbiter is an unpowered glider, so you will only have one chance to get it right. Astronauts used to call it a flying brick: because of its 200,000 lbs. gross weight and low lift over drag ratio, the approach is six times steeper and two times faster than a typical airliner approach. After your first safe touchdown, chase that perfect landing, compare your high scores online with your friends, earn medals, and unlock achievements. Experiment with different wind conditions, night approaches, and even emergency scenarios or system failures. At the end of each flight, watch a replay from different camera angles.