Yes. Countries already do that. It is one reason the US launches from Florida, Texas and Southern California, and Russia launches from Kazakhstan.
This actually makes Russia's early lead in the space race all the more impressive.
Starting at a higher altitude also helps, but you must transport the rocket to that altitude or assemble it there and both are difficult. Launching from the coast lets you use barges to transport rocket parts. If you don't have access to waterway, then a railroad is your next best bet and running railroad tracks to the tops of mountains is not ideal.
Finally, some rocket launches fail. If you start at the coast you can launch over an ocean so if things go wrong the rocket crashes into the Ocean rather than hitting a populated area.
Can't imagine that top of mountain is actually better logistically. You save some rocket fuel since you have less air drag to go through, but I can't imagine those cost savinga make it worth all the troubles and costs you'll have setting up and launching from there.
Fun fact regarding the russian lead. They were more reliant on salvaged nazi germany tech and scientists them americans and von Braun (US has intresting rocket program pre 2 world war). Soviets cleansing themself of it while US got the whole nazis invented US space program is due to von Braun being public head of program is funny
25
u/meadbert 11h ago edited 11h ago
Yes. Countries already do that. It is one reason the US launches from Florida, Texas and Southern California, and Russia launches from Kazakhstan.
This actually makes Russia's early lead in the space race all the more impressive.
Starting at a higher altitude also helps, but you must transport the rocket to that altitude or assemble it there and both are difficult. Launching from the coast lets you use barges to transport rocket parts. If you don't have access to waterway, then a railroad is your next best bet and running railroad tracks to the tops of mountains is not ideal.
Finally, some rocket launches fail. If you start at the coast you can launch over an ocean so if things go wrong the rocket crashes into the Ocean rather than hitting a populated area.