IIRC, it's to do with getting high, and using gravity/momentum to reach targets further away, rather than flying straight to them. That's my very dumbed down understanding anyway.
Getting something high is comparatively easy, getting something fast enough to orbit is a lot harder.
Ballistic missiles follow a ballistic trajectory, there's a high initial impulse and then gravity takes over. Generally, you want the most efficient ballistic trajectory because every kg you save in fuel is 1 more kg for the warhead.
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[ 79.2 ms ] story [ 247 ms ] threadFor reference, the international space station is about 220 miles above earth.
Why does a missile need to do so damn high? Is it because it's just a test? Do all missiles go that high?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajectory_of_a_projectile
Ballistic missiles follow a ballistic trajectory, there's a high initial impulse and then gravity takes over. Generally, you want the most efficient ballistic trajectory because every kg you save in fuel is 1 more kg for the warhead.