Had a discussion on this a bit over a month ago, link here. To say here what I said there, space elevators are about the worst and least practical option for non-rocket space launches that's still...
Had a discussion on this a bit over a month ago, link here.
To say here what I said there, space elevators are about the worst and least practical option for non-rocket space launches that's still (barely) better than rockets, and even then just the ones we have now. We don't have the materials needed to build one, they take over a week to get something into orbit, they've got issues with power transmission and safety since they intersect the orbits of thousands of satellites and the cable itself can't be electrified, and they only reduce launch costs to around $200/kg, which is comparable to what you'd get out of mature mega-rockets like the BFR or Sea Dragon.
The ideal long-term solution for bulk space launches is an orbital ring, which doesn't suffer any of those shortcomings (it's actually buildable with modern materials), and reduces launch costs to more like $0.05/kg. Or if a hundred billion is too rich for your blood, we could get a Lofstrom loop, which is essentially a 1500-2000km long elevated mass driver, built for (according to Keith Lofstrom) $10bn, that would bring launch costs down to the range of <$5/kg.
Had a discussion on this a bit over a month ago, link here.
To say here what I said there, space elevators are about the worst and least practical option for non-rocket space launches that's still (barely) better than rockets, and even then just the ones we have now. We don't have the materials needed to build one, they take over a week to get something into orbit, they've got issues with power transmission and safety since they intersect the orbits of thousands of satellites and the cable itself can't be electrified, and they only reduce launch costs to around $200/kg, which is comparable to what you'd get out of mature mega-rockets like the BFR or Sea Dragon.
The ideal long-term solution for bulk space launches is an orbital ring, which doesn't suffer any of those shortcomings (it's actually buildable with modern materials), and reduces launch costs to more like $0.05/kg. Or if a hundred billion is too rich for your blood, we could get a Lofstrom loop, which is essentially a 1500-2000km long elevated mass driver, built for (according to Keith Lofstrom) $10bn, that would bring launch costs down to the range of <$5/kg.