Polar Launches and Why Vandenberg Faces South

Earth observation and reconnaissance satellites usually fly north to south over the poles so the planet rotates beneath them and every square kilometer passes under the sensors. Launching southward from populated land is difficult, but Vandenberg sits at the edge of the Pacific with a clear corridor down the California coast.

Kodiak in Alaska and Mahia in New Zealand sell the same geometry. Polar orbits trade the equatorial speed bonus for coverage, so rockets flying south carry less payload than the same rocket flying east.