Blue Origin, Boeing, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Firefly Aerospace, OneWeb Satellites, Sierra Space, and Terran Orbital are all space and launch companies which operate out of Florida. Have you ever wondered why Florida is such a hotbed of rocket launch companies?
After World War II, when military rocket technology was in its infancy, rockets were launched from the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. But the technology was outgrowing the test range there, as the range only extended out 100 miles. Once the rockets were launched, their flight paths passed over heavily populated areas which raised safety concerns.
In those early days, scientists needed to track the rocket’s entire trip. In order to do that, rockets were launched vertically requiring a huge amount of thrust. This created a problem because the rockets were quite large relative to their payload. Aerospace needed a new approach. And, this new approach involved what all real estate transactions focus upon – location, location, location.
To move away from populated areas, new sites needed to be identified preferably on the east coast. Remembering that the Earth has a west-to-east spin, it is desirable to launch easterly because the Earth’s spin will give the rocket an extra boost, thereby reducing the thrust needed to reach orbit. The closer you are to the equator, the greater the extra boost.
Because Cape Canaveral is 28.5 degrees north of the equator, a rocket will receive a 914 mph boost upon liftoff. Considering a rocket needs to reach 17,000 mph to achieve orbit, this is critical to reducing the size of a rocket’s boosters.
Thus, location, location, location played into Florida’s hand and we became the leaders in space launches.