Can scientists who want to put a satellite into a polar orbit take advantage of Earth's rotation to give the rocket a "boost"?

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Genesis Watson

3 January, 16:11

Can scientists who want to put a satellite into a polar orbit take advantage of Earth's rotation to give the rocket a "boost"?

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Simeon Cobb · Answer 1

No, it is not feasible to use the Earth's rotation to give a rocket a boost into polar orbit. This is due to the fact that a polar orbit is requires a satellite to reach a "high Earth orbit". High Earth orbit requires a lot of energy to reach, meaning using the Earth's rotation to give a boost is not feasible. In contrast, it is common to use the Earth's rotation to give satellite's a boost into low Earth orbit.