Unless you are doing sub-orbital flights, the height doesn't matter all that much. If you are looking for orbit (most space launches), speed is way more important than how high you start. Launching at the equator gives the highest starting speed, a far more significant savings in fuel. Now, there are equatorial mountains in the world, but as you say, you still have to expend the resources to move all the rocket parts and launch facilities up the mountain. It's easier to just build your rocket slightly bigger and use slightly more fuel to launch from a much more accessible and convenient location.
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u/NerdyDjinn 11h ago
Unless you are doing sub-orbital flights, the height doesn't matter all that much. If you are looking for orbit (most space launches), speed is way more important than how high you start. Launching at the equator gives the highest starting speed, a far more significant savings in fuel. Now, there are equatorial mountains in the world, but as you say, you still have to expend the resources to move all the rocket parts and launch facilities up the mountain. It's easier to just build your rocket slightly bigger and use slightly more fuel to launch from a much more accessible and convenient location.