Why do most rockets launch east?
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Earth spins toward the east, so a launch pad near the equator is already moving at about 1,670 km/h (roughly 465 m/s). A rocket launched east keeps that speed for free, so it needs less fuel to reach orbit. That's why launch sites like Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, sit close to the equator, with open sea to the east so rockets fly over water. Not every rocket goes east: rockets headed for polar orbits fly north or south and don't get this boost.
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Transcript
- Sef How come most rockets launch east? West has the sunset!
- Tiggy West is the hard way. Earth spins toward the east.
- Tiggy Near the equator, a launch pad already moves almost 1,700 kilometers an hour.
- Tiggy Launch east, and the rocket gets that speed for free.
- Sef So it needs less fuel!
- Tiggy Exactly. That's why launch sites love the equator, with open sea to the east.
- Sef Fine. But I'm sitting backwards!
Sources
- NASA Space Place: Launch a rocket from a spinning planet spaceplace.nasa.gov
- NASA Basics of Space Flight, Chapter 14: Launch science.nasa.gov
- ESA: Ariane 6 overview (Europe's Spaceport, Kourou) esa.int
- ESA: Earth from Space: Kourou, French Guiana esa.int
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