Anything on the surface of the Earth at the equator is already moving at 1670 kilometers per hour. If a ship is launched from the equator it goes up into space, and it is also moving around the Earth at the same speed it was moving before launching. This is because of inertia. read more
The real reason for wanting to launch close to the Equator is for spacecraft launching satellites to Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO). GEO requires a specific orbital altitude so that the orbital period is the same as Earth’s rotation (day). read more
However, the spin of the Earth itself can help give it a push as well. Anything on the surface of the Earth at the equator is already moving at 1670 kilometers per hour. If a ship is launched from the equator it goes up into space, and it is also moving around the Earth at the same speed it was moving before launching. read more
At the equator, a point on the surface is traveling east at 1037.56 mph (1669.8 km/hr). A rocket sitting on the launchpad would also have that speed. So, if the goal is to accelerate the rocket to orbital speed, it saves fuel if we start at a higher speed. read more