Rockets Need Special Places to Launch, Here’s Where

Many of the U.S.’s most iconic rocket launches have taken place in a region on Florida’s coast. But what makes this area such a great place for lift off? » Subscribe to Seeker! » Watch more Elements! » Sign Up for Seeker’s Newsletter! Cape Canaveral sits off the east coast of Florida, roughly 3,200 kilometers from the Equator. This location is the perfect staging ground for rocket launches, as it provides a speed boost and energy savings for our launches. You see, as the Earth rotates it naturally generates kinetic energy, rotating slowest at the poles and fastest near the equator. This means that during launch, a rocket gets a generous speed boost assisted by the natural rotation of the planet. But one of the most consistent hurdles we face when sending rockets to space is actually reaching a high enough speed to enter orbit…over 40,000 kilometers per hour, specific