So here’s what happens. That is why they take off diagonally (or, alternatively, why they flail their wings wildly through the air in order to take off vertically). Tilt it even slightly from the vertical and it will collapse. Rockets do not use the air as a source of lift.

Short answer: Launching a rocket from the east coast gives an additional boost to the rocket, due to the rotational speed of Earth. The following photos show what an aircraft's jet engine can do to runaways when used carelessly, or in the case of a poorly built runway, a large rocket engine would be orders of magnitude worse. We need you to answer this question! Rockets launched to reach orbit usually start from a stationary position, engines are started and the rocket slowly gain acceleration upwards, eventually reaching orbit. Aircraft are called "aircraft" because they require a lifting force provided by their motion through the air that opposes gravity. Now since Earth is rotating towards East, you can save fuel by launching with Earth's rotation, preserving the eastward velocity you already have. Notice please where Cape Kennedy is, Russia’s launch sites, and China’s too (althought I am not sure exactly where they are, I bet they are on the east coast of China somewhere. Why are most rockets launched from the east coast of countries? Why are most rockets launched from the east coast of countries? Short answer: Launching a rocket from the east coast gives an additional boost to the rocket, due to the rotational speed of Earth. As mentioned above, structural integrity is the other key reason rockets are launched vertically. This is not an option for large rockets. What I'm thinking is that the rocket "wastes" a few seconds reaching a speed/acceleration that could be gained by other means. Following the launch, the rocket’s climb is initially slow; but by the end of the first minute into the ascent, the rocket is moving at a staggering 1,000 mph (1,609 kmph). But they pitchover to the horizon as soon as possible, in a long arc called a Gravity turn. Why rockets are launched vertically? Besides the good answers you already got, note that for a rocket to launch diagonally you need the vertical acceleration to be more than 1g. Also, these rockets travel eastward, so if anything goes wrong during their ascent, the debris would essentially fall into an ocean’s waters, far away from densely populated areas. An empty thin-walled soda can oriented vertically can easily support 100 kilograms or more. Short answer: They don’t. Vertical takeoff requires disposable rockets (would it a satellite rocket), which is a money loss, and also a lot of fuel, because initial velocity is zero. There are also huge engineering issues. In a Saturn V, initial acceleration was barely beyond 1g. Some small rockets are launched at non-vertical angle.

Rockets are launched vertically with a tremendous amount of upward thrust, thanks to their own engines and the solid boosters attached to them (which are jettisoned soon after the launch).