From Climate Crisis to the desire to move off planet, future demands are extraordinary. To stop Global Warming and ensure humanity has sufficient energy for future generations, Space Solar Power must be immediately initiated approximately five hundred 3,000 tonne satellites at Geosynchronous Orbit to support 12% of the global baseline electrical need by 2050 (replacing coal burning plants). In addition, communities off-planet need 1,000,000 tonnes beyond GEO. To reach these numbers using rockets (at less than 2% delivery statistics – and 20 to 50 tonnes capability to GEO) something like three launches a day is expected. This exorbitant demand for rockets – burning fuel in our atmosphere – would be hazardous to the environment. When putting this all together, Space Elevators’ capabilities will be mandatory for the next step into the future. We must build upon the concept of dual space access strategy
combining the strengths of both advanced rockets and space elevators.
A first step into our future must be to build Space Elevators. A leap into this bright future for humanity by using individual launches alone is counterproductive. There must be a permanent transportation infrastructure that can move massive logistics to GEO and beyond with environmentally-friendly operations . This can be accomplished by starting with the Initial Operational Capability of Space Elevators at 30,000 tonnes per year to GEO and beyond (estimate 2037) growing to the Full Operational Capability of 170,000 tonnes per year (estimate 2047). Rockets cannot grow to this capability without damaging our atmosphere. The rocket equation is a killer – even with reusability, frequent launches, and low costs.
Space Elevators will open up the heavens for humanity while saving the planet from global warming. If our Space Elevator Community is to progress aggressively, we must all present these concepts in a way that is convincing – we must believe in these strengths of Space Elevators and develop these concepts up front in our presentations and discussions. Our future is in the hands of Space Elevator enthusiasts.
Pete Swan
Senior Vice President
Galactic Harbour Associates, Inc.