Answer: 54 meters.
Step-by-step explanation: The initial height of the rocket before it is launched is represented by the constant term in the quadratic function, which is 54. This means that the rocket's height at time t = 0 (before it is launched) is 54 meters.
To confirm this, you can plug in t = 0 into the quadratic function to get:
h(0) = -5(0)² + 42(0) + 54 = 54 meters
This means that the initial height of the rocket before it is launched is 54 meters.