Question

A satellite launching station should be

• A. near the equatorial region.
• B. near the polar region.
• C. on the polar axis.
• D. all locations are equally good.

Answer 1

The correct option is A near the equatorial region.

At equator, $g$ is minimum relative to all the other points on the surface of the Earth. When a spacecraft is launched into the orbit, it should end up spinning around the Earth quickly enough not to be pulled back in by the Earth's gravity. 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. This speed will help the spacecraft keep up a good enough speed to stay in the orbit.