Orbiter (1986 video game)

Orbiter is a space flight simulator video game developed and published by Spectrum HoloByte in 1986. It was released for the Apple II, Macintosh, and IBM PC platforms.

The game simulates orbital mechanics and allows players to control spacecraft to perform various missions, including launching from Earth, achieving orbit, transferring between orbits, docking with space stations, and landing on other celestial bodies like the Moon.

Orbiter stood out from other games of its time due to its relatively realistic portrayal of space flight. It required players to understand and utilize concepts like orbital velocity, gravitational forces, and trajectory planning. While visually simple by modern standards, the game's focus on accurate simulation made it popular among space enthusiasts and those interested in learning about orbital mechanics.

Gameplay involved managing fuel, adjusting course using thrusters, and monitoring various instruments to ensure successful mission completion. The game offered scenarios and allowed players to experiment with different flight paths and strategies. The difficulty stemmed from the unforgiving nature of orbital mechanics, requiring precise calculations and careful execution.

While not commercially as successful as some other Spectrum HoloByte titles, Orbiter is remembered for its educational value and its pioneering role in the space flight simulation genre on early personal computers. It predates and should not be confused with the later, more advanced, and freeware space simulator also named Orbiter, developed by Martin Schweiger.