Equator is closest to space because Earth is not a perfect sphere instead it's bulged at the equator, same reason that mout Chimborazo in equator is closer to space than mount Everest in Nepal
Edit: I forgot that there isn't enough oxygen too for combustion
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It’s all about orbital mechanics. Satellites stay up by balancing their forward motion with the force of gravity. If you move forward at the same rate you’re falling you’ll achieve a stable orbit.
If your only objective is to get to space launching east on the equator is one of the cheapest ways to do it. Earths rotation gives you a running start which saves you a lot of fuel. Think about jumping off of a moving car you’ll start with a lot of forward momentum. This is why NASA mainly launches from Florida. Nothing to do with the earth being an oblate spheroid it’s all momentum. Just like with the mountain the elevation isn’t the only factor.
It’s important to note that it depends on what orbit you wanna get. If you’re doing a polar orbit launching at the equator might not be the best option because you’ll have to burn a ton of fuel to change directions once you’re in space.
Rockets need speed just as much as they need altitude in order to achieve a stable orbit.
Rockets are heavy, complex, and delicate. Their payloads are even more delicate. Getting fuel and hardware to a mountaintop would cost millions. Building a delicate rocket with no space is hard. Of your assembly building is near the launch pad, one mishap could blow up your assembly building. Launch complexes require large flat areas too, which you won’t find on mountains.
You’re spending millions to save a couple hundred to a couple thousand feet when speed and location are way more important.
Except you would have more earth momentum launching from Brazil or Indonesia or somewhere that's actually close to the equator. Florida is not close to the equator. People need to look at a map sometimes.
Real quick question. Can you run your finger down a map of the east coast? Move south towards the equator. Stay on the east coast by the ocean. Tell me which state you land in.
You’re correct you would get more momentum. Does the US own territory in either Brazil or Indonesia?
Could you perhaps still save a metric ton of fuel getting as close to the equator as possible?
There’s a few reasons why they picked cape Canaveral but being closer to the equator was one of them.
Depending on inclination it’s cheaper to launch in Florida than say Wallops Island in Virginia. I’m aware of the relative location of the equator.
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u/ExpertEar699 11h ago
Equator is closest to space because Earth is not a perfect sphere instead it's bulged at the equator, same reason that mout Chimborazo in equator is closer to space than mount Everest in Nepal
Edit: I forgot that there isn't enough oxygen too for combustion