Sci-Fi Space Elevators May Soon Become A Reality, And These Companies Are Leading The Way

 Jan 8 2023

By Shaheer Shahzad

Only rockets have been used to travel to space for more than 50 years. But in the not-too-distant future, there could be another way to launch people and cargo: a massive elevator that rises from the surface of the Earth to an orbital altitude of 22,000 miles, where geosynchronous satellites are located.

Researchers from all around the world are hopeful that a space elevator may be constructed, and NASA agrees the basic idea behind one is valid. One will be constructed by 2050, according to the Tokyo-based Obayashi Corp., while one will be constructed as soon as 2045 in China. The viability of a space elevator in the real world will now be determined by an experiment that will be carried out soon onboard the International Space Station.

Building a space elevator makes a lot of sense. The most obvious benefit is the significant energy and financial savings; compared to rockets, it is a considerably more realistic method of reaching orbit. Accessibility is a further factor that is frequently disregarded. As flights to space become commonplace and mostly unaffected by weather, the term "space mission" would be replaced with "transit." Human transits would be less dangerous than present procedures, which require astronauts to incur a small risk to their lives with each launch. An interstellar bridge is created via a space elevator. Without using any fuel, you may orbit the Earth by releasing a cargo in the bottom half and the sun by doing the same in the upper portion.

The term "space mission" would be replaced with "transit" as space travel would be commonplace and mostly unaffected by the weather, according to Cohen. "Transits including humans would be safer than present techniques, where astronauts must take a minimal danger to their lives with each launch," the study said. "A space elevator turns into a solar system bridge." You can orbit the Earth by releasing a payload in the lower portion; if you do the same in the upper portion, you can orbit the sun. Both manoeuvres are fuel-free.