tl;dr: for a rocket it is waaaay more important to go fast than to go high. and earth rotates very slowly, so going higher doesn't make you much faster.
And another fun fact: because it’s spinning, the earth isn’t a sphere. Centrifugal forces make the earth thicker at the equator.
Height is typically specified on sea level but for leaving earth it doesn’t matter, distance from center mass matters. And at the equator you’re already further away than any mountain would ever bring you.
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u/Icy_Concern_9804 11d ago
tl;dr: for a rocket it is waaaay more important to go fast than to go high. and earth rotates very slowly, so going higher doesn't make you much faster.