The Japanese company Obayashi Corporation believes it has the necessary knowledge to realize the daring idea of a long cable that would link Earth to space and put us into orbit for a fraction of the cost at record speed. That’s the basic idea of a space elevator.
Instead of taking six to eight months to reach Mars, scientists estimate that a space elevator could take us to the red planet in three to four months, or even 40 days, notes Science Alert.
The concept of a space elevator is not new, but engineering such a structure is not easy, and there are many other issues, besides technology, that get in the way. However, the ambition to build one seriously is quite recent.
Japan aims for 2050
Known for building the tallest tower in the world, the Tokyo Skytree, Obayashi Corporation announced in 2012 that it would reach even greater heights with its own space elevator.
In a report that same year, the company stated that it would begin construction of this $100 billion project in 2025 and could begin operating in 2050.
According to the Science Alert site, Yoji Ishikawa, author of the report and member of the company’s future technology creation department, construction is likely to begin in 2025, as it is currently “engaged in research and development, the rough design, the creation of partnerships and the promotion,” he told Business Insider.
Some have even doubted whether such a structure is possible. “It was a bit of a crazy idea,” says Christian Johnson, who published a report on space elevators in the Journal of Science Policy & Governance last year.
A cheaper route to space
Launching people and objects into space on rockets is extremely expensive. For example, NASA estimates that its four Artemis missions to the Moon will cost $4.1 billion per launch.
It takes a lot of fuel to get to space, but fuel is heavy, which increases the amount of fuel needed. “This creates a vicious cycle,” Johnson told Business Insider.
With a space elevator, no rockets or fuel are needed. According to some designs, space elevators would transport cargo to orbit in electromagnetic vehicles, which could be powered remotely, for example with solar energy or microwaves, eliminating the need for onboard fuel, Science Alert indicates.
In his report for the Obayashi Corporation, Ishikawa wrote that this type of space elevator could help reduce the cost of transporting goods to space to $57 per pound. Other estimates for space elevators in general have put the price at $227 per pound.
Even SpaceX’s Falcon 9, one of the cheapest rockets to launch, costs about $1,227 per kilogram, about five times more expensive than the highest estimates for space elevators.
Besides the cost, there are other advantages
On the other hand, it eliminates the danger of a rocket exploding, and the elevators could be zero-emission vehicles, Johnson said. Ishikawa, for his part, stated that the Obayashi Corporation sees the space elevator as a new type of public works project that would benefit all of humanity.
ee (Business Insider, Science Alert, Journal of Science Policy & Governance)
