Space elevator

A proposed transport system that uses a long tether anchored to a planetary surface to lift payloads into space without rocket propulsion.

Geostationary orbit: An orbit above Earth’s equator in which a satellite remains over the same ground point. An Earth elevator’s tether must extend beyond this orbit to remain under tension.
Orbital ring: A proposed rotating structure in orbit that could support transport infrastructure above a planet. It offers a related way to connect planetary surfaces with orbital infrastructure.
Space transportation: The movement of people and cargo between Earth, orbit, and other destinations in space. A space elevator is a proposed transportation system with a different energy and cost profile from rockets.
Orbital launch vehicle: A rocket-powered vehicle designed to place payloads into orbit. It is the established alternative, accelerating each payload rather than carrying it up a fixed tether.
Tensile strength: The maximum tensile stress a material can withstand before failing. A practical tether must sustain enormous loads while remaining light enough to extend into space.
Centrifugal force: An apparent outward force used to describe motion in a rotating reference frame. In the rotating Earth frame, its effect beyond geostationary orbit helps pull the tether taut.
Momentum exchange tether: An orbital tether that transfers momentum between payloads and spacecraft or other masses. It shares the elevator’s use of a long tether to move payloads without a conventional launch vehicle.
Lunar space elevator: A proposed tether system that would transport payloads from the Moon’s surface toward space. The Moon’s weaker gravity makes some elevator designs more feasible than an Earth-based system.
Rotovator: A rotating orbital tether whose ends can transfer payloads between different trajectories. Its rotation enables timed catches and releases, unlike the mostly stationary elevator tether.
Space debris: Human-made objects and fragments in space that no longer serve a useful function. Debris impacts could damage a tether spanning many orbital altitudes.

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