Recent Articles and Papers on Space Elevators

The space elevator community publishes journal articles and presents papers at conferences which bring the latest advancements into focus. These reach across the many domains and disciplines of the space elevator project. Papers and articles of note during the last year will be referenced here and updated as time goes on.

Papers and presentations from the 2025 International Astronautical Congress, SUSTAINABLE SPACE: RESILIENT EARTH, 29 SEP - 03 OCT 2025, Sydney, Australia.

Griffin, Daniel, and Peter Swan, “Study of Future Low Earth Orbit Station Attached to Space Elevators.” (PAPER) (SLIDES)

Huynha, Chi Lan, and Peter Swan, “Fueling the (near) Future: The Case for Earth-Based Space Elevator Supply to L1 Over Lunar ISRU.” (PAPER) (SLIDES)

Ogawa, Akinari, Yoshinao Kobayashi, Yunosuke Kudo, and Ryo Kuzuno, “Space Elevator Application on Habitat Construction at Lagrange Points.” (SLIDES)

Swan, Peter A., and Bruce Chesley, “Commercial Application Framework for Space Sustainability: Improve Life on Earth and Custodial Care of Space.” (PAPER) (SLIDES)

Swan, Peter, and Cathy Swan, “Modern-Day Space Elevator’s Strengths lead to Planetary Defense.” (PAPER) (SLIDES)

Swan, Peter, and Daniel Griffin, “Galactic Harbours Define Permanent Space Access Transportation Infrastructures.” (PAPER) (SLIDES)

2025 paper by a former ISEC Academic Challenge Winner, Henrique Moreira, published in Sigma, the Vanier Science Journal:

Space Elevator - General Applications of a GEO Station and Microgravity

Article from ROOM: The Space Journal of Asgardia, Issue #36, 2025

National Space Society International Space Development Conference Space Elevator Technical Session “Space Elevators—Revolutionizing Access to Space” June 21, 2025

The November 2024 issue of Journal of the British Interplanetary Society has an article “Modern-Day Space Elevator’s Evolutionary Growth Towards Apex Anchor Revolution” by Cathy W. Swan & Peter A. Swan.

Proceedings of the ISEC Conference 2024

PDF document includes all papers. Papers included:

  • New Space Elevator Mission Requirements are Needed (S. Griggs)

  • Opportunities at GEO and the Apex Anchor (J. Knapman)

  • Value Propositions for Space Elevators (P. Swan)

  • Delivering Power to the Space Elevator Climbers with Lasers (L. Bartoszek, D. H. Wright and M. Lades)

  • Sending Power to the Space Elevator Climbers through a Conductive Tether (L. Bartoszek and A. Davis)

  • What Type of Person is Willing to Ride in a Space Elevator? (S.C. Box, A. Golendukhina, J.M. Garcia, S.R. Crouse, S. R. Winter and S. Rice)

  • Jump Before Flying: Linear Motor Elevators as Precursors for Space Elevators (E. Kazan, A. Onat and S. Markon)

  • Student Challenge: A Multi-modal Interplanetary Transportation System (J.W. Arnold)

Papers from the 75th International Astronautical Congress, 2024, in Milano, Italy

Knapman, John M., “Exploiting a Space Elevator at Geosynchronous Altitude.” (PAPER)

Swan, Peter, and Bruce Chesley, “Space Elevators Lifting Extreme Masses to Support Solar Power Satellite Assembly at GEO.” (PAPER)

Swan, Peter A., and Cathy W. Swan, “Green Road to Space Leads to a Dual Space Access Strategy.” (PAPER)

Swan, Peter A., and Cathy W. Swan, “Massive Velocities for Large Spacecraft Towards the Stars.” (PAPER)

Swan, Peter A., and Paul W. Phister, Keynote: Jerome Pearson Memorial Lecture - “Space Elevator Apex Anchor Initial Research.” (PAPER)

National Space Society International Space Development Conference Space Elevator Technical Session “Space Settlements Enabled by Transformational Permanent Infrastructures” May 25, 2024

Acta Astronautica, Volume 211, October 2023, Pages 631-649: “Conditions at the interface between the space elevator tether and its climber.” Dennis H. Wright, Larry Bartoszek, A.J. Burke, David Dotson, Hassan El Chab, John Knapman, Martin Lades, Adrian Nixon, Paul W. Phister Jr., Peter Robinson.

JBIS July 2023 cover

Journal of the British Interplanetary Society
Volume 76 No.7 July 2023
Special Issue: Future Directions for Space Elevators
Full papers here in PDF format.
Purchase this issue here.

Spaceflight June 2023

SpaceFlight Vol 65 No 06 June 2023. Purchase issue here.

  • THE RIGHT STUFF: The space elevator’s tether could be built soon using lightweight, ultra-strong materials such as single crystal graphene, hexagonal boron nitride or carbon nanotubes. By Adrian Nixon, John Knapman and Dennis Wright. Diagrams courtesy ISEC/Adrian Nixon.

  • GALACTIC HARBOURS: A galactic harbour is a permanent transportation infrastructure including two space elevators that will enable a space economy. By Michael Fitzgerald. Images courtesy Lux Virtual & Galactic Harbour Inc.

  • COOPERATION & COMPETITION: A dual space access strategy leverages the best of both space elevators and rockets for a greener road to space. By Peter Swan.

  • MODERN DAY SPACE ELEVATORS: The eighth space elevator architecture, as a permanent space transportation system, has remarkable transformative capabilities. By Cathy Swan.

  • INCREDIBLE ENGINEERING: Japan’s construction giant, Obayashi Corporation, has a vision for a space elevator that draws on NASA’s earlier work. By Rob Coppinger.

More information.