Space MIAD Practice Test

When the inclination is less than the latitude, how many launch opportunities are available?

1. None

2. One

3. Two

4. Three

The correct answer is: None

When the inclination of an orbit is less than the latitude of the launch site, it means that the spacecraft will not be able to reach the necessary orbit due to the limitations imposed by the Earth's rotation and the geometry of the launch. The inclination refers to the tilt of the spacecraft's orbit relative to the Earth's equator, while latitude indicates how far north or south the launch site is from the equator. In this scenario, since the spacecraft's orbit cannot align properly with the latitude of the launch site—because the orbit would require a steeper angle than the latitude allows—there are no feasible opportunities to launch into that orbit. This results in zero available launch opportunities, clearly establishing why the answer is none. The inclination must at least match or exceed the latitude to create any viable launch window, meaning as long as it's lower, it becomes impossible to achieve the desired orbit from that location.