Three Special Studies for 2026
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The International Space Elevator Consortium has launched three special studies to provide more in-depth analyses and conceptual designs for transporting personnel and cargo to space and down-Earth, as well as interplanetary tether launch flight paths and space-traveling vehicles. Space Elevators have claimed to provide superior lift capacity to GEO and beyond compared to rockets. There are a multitude of other benefits that accompany the all-electric launch concepts, which have yet to be quantified.
Two special studies, Clean Ascent Enables Space Settlement and Energy Efficiency Driven Affordability, expand on the preliminary analysis comparing electrically driven space elevators and rocket propulsion. The first study quantifies the pollution byproducts of rocket propulsion and the potential effects it will have on the atmosphere if a mass settlement of space requires thousands of rocket launches per year. The second study compares the energy and power required for sending millions of tons of cargo and personnel to GEO and other planets. Bringing back cargo and personnel from space to Earth, down-Earth, also provides an energy-generation capability that could be useful for a variety of applications, though this has yet to be explored and quantified.
The third special study, Exploring Design in Space Transportation, opens up the imagination and design space for tether-launched spacecraft. Alternative flight paths, not bound by the energy-minimization constraints of rockets, can enable faster travel to destinations in the solar system. Depending on where and when a spacecraft is released from the tether, a variety of velocities and launch angles can be achieved. Space elevators, with a large mass fraction (approximately 70%) for off-world transport, also enable various fuel availability concepts that are unaffordable for rockets.
Do you have an imagination? Do you want to be involved in a design project? The third special study will also open the space vehicle design space to possibilities beyond a flying sewer tube (rocket). A heavy-lift space elevator could deliver a finished space transport vehicle to a launch altitude. However, a large spacecraft to transport a large number of personnel and cargo, built at GEO or above on the tether, then launched, is the really interesting and meaningful concept for this study. A tether approach could be just final assembly, an additive manufacturing-in-space concept, or a mix of both. What would a tether-launched spacecraft look like? How would it be built? How big would it be? How many different design concepts would be needed for various missions? Let your imagination run wild!
ISEC is looking for scientists, engineers, designers, concept builders, manufacturing technologists, human factors, people with imagination, and minds not trapped by what is. We want people who are willing to explore the realm of the possible. No matter how improbable it may seem in today’s world. See the special studies flyers or contact Steve Griggs at steven.griggs@isec.org.
Additional Ongoing ISEC Study Plans
The following ISEC Studies are also in the works. Please contact the study leader if you can assist.