An elevator will connect Earth with the International Space Station

The truth is that it is not the first time that we have heard new references to a fairly recurring theme in Japan in recent years and it is that in the country the construction company Obayashi It does not cease in its efforts to be able to design a project that is attractive and viable enough to have the necessary consent and construction permits to start its development.

Literally what planet this company is nothing less than building what would be the first space elevator built by man, a platform that would connect, in principle, the Earth with the International Space Station. The most interesting thing of all is that the project still stands years after being proposed for the first time, back in 2014, and now even with the collaboration of an institution of the stature of the Shizuoka University.

The construction company Obayashi continues with its project to link the Earth and the International Space Station by means of an elevator

The advantages of a system like this, once it is implemented, are as clear as the capacity that its structure would have since, according to the first data revealed by those responsible for carrying out the project, this elevator could transport inside up to 30 people that they would travel to the International Space Station in an oval-shaped vehicle about 18 meters long and 7 meters wide. This vehicle would have been designed to offer the most comfortable ride possible while moving at speeds of up to 200 km/h.

If we take into account, at this point, that we are talking about a structure governed by an electric motor that must move by no less than 96.000 km of cable made with carbon natotubes. In total, it is estimated that it will take up to 8 days of travel from when the elevator leaves the Earth and arrives at the International Space Station and vice versa. After a first feasibility study, the cost of such an artifact is estimated to be around 9.000 million.

It is estimated that about 9.000 million dollars will be invested in the manufacture of this elevator

The construction of this elevator will begin with the launch of two small satellites that should be the spearhead for the final construction of a platform capable of connecting the International Space Station, remember that it is located 36.000 kilometers away, with a maritime platform. As a detail, tell you that for this to happen we will not have to wait too long since during this same month of September a first pilot test will be launched where it is intended to evaluate the movement of a container on the transport cable that is in space.

This is the reason why the two aforementioned satellites must be launched, two structures that will be connected by a 10 meter long steel cable. According to the information published officially, these satellites, if everything goes as planned, should be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center (Kagoshima) in the direction of the International Space Station the next day. September 11. Along with the satellites, a motorized container will arrive that will be used as if it were an elevator to travel from one side to the other along the entire cable. This journey will be recorded at all times with cameras located on both satellites.

There is still a lot of work to be done to get the first space elevator in history manufactured

For now, the truth is that there is still a lot of work to be done. Among the challenges faced by a project of this magnitude, it should be noted, for example, that the cables, once assembled, must face different inclement weather such as cosmic rays, which is why those responsible have made the decision, in principle, to use carbon nanotubes as the base material in the construction of these cables. On the other hand, it should be taken into account that this structure will have to face possible collisions with meteorites, space debris and it must even be capable of transmitting energy between the Earth and the International Space Station.

As mentioned in the feasibility study, if such an artifact is to be built, the advantages would be impressive since, for example, it would be possible to send material and people to the International Space Station with a very important cost reduction such as that, if today it is estimated that sending a kilogram of material to the International Space Station has a cost of around $ 22.000 using this type of technology, the cost would be reduced to $ 200 per kilogram.