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25. Why are space rockets usually launched from west to east in the equatorial plane?

Answer»

It takes a certain velocity to put a satellite in orbit. By launching eastward about 5% of that velocity is provided by the rotating Earth, free of charge. Earth rotates eastwards, and that’s why the sun ‘rises’ in the east. Of course every point on the surface of the planet rotates once a day, but the circle with the largest circumference is the equator, so there the rotating Earth takes you farthest in 24hrs, so that’s where your ‘free velocity package’ is the biggest. And getting out of that plane is costing fuel too, so any given rocket puts the most mass into orbit when launched from the equator, in the equatorial plane, and eastward.



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