Yes, it requires probably a bit of training: The trick is not to fight gravity, but rather use it (think Jiu Jitsu in orbit). It is meant to closely replicate the classical mechanics of Spacewar.

Compare J.M. Graetz's description:

> The first result of this new attention to strategy was the opening move in Figure 3, which was quickly dubbed the "CBS opening" because of its eye-like shape. It took a while to learn this maneuver but it soon became the standard opening among experienced players, as it generally produced the most exciting games.

(See https://www.masswerk.at/spacewar/spacewar_origins/spacewar-f... for figure 3.)

This is accomplished by aligning your spaceship perpendicularly to the central star and firing your thruster for two or three seconds. There are various variations to this and it works both ways (cw and ccw). Like in Spacewar, the power of the rocket is just barely enough to escape towards the edge by keeping thrusting in a diagonal direction, but this will take a while. So the better option might be a slingshot around the "sun" in order to establish an orbit.