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 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

• 01 Space Settlements Enabled by Transformational Permanent Infrastructures, Peter A. Swan, Ph.D.

• 02 Modern Day Space Elevators: Working with Rockets in a Dual Space Access Strategy, Peter A. Swan, Ph.D.

• 03 Dual Space Access Strategy: Space Elevators and Advanced Rockets, Jerry K. Eddy, Ph.D., and Peter A. Swan, Ph.D.

• 04 Planetary Defense: A Rapid Response Concept, Paul W. Phister, Ph.D, P.E., and Peter A. Swan, Ph.D.

• 05 Space Elevator Visualizer 1, Aidan Hurley-Kalici

• 06 ISEC Academic Challenge: Project Green Orbit, Columbia University

• 07 Introduction to ISEC Research and Studies, Dennis H. Wright

• 08 Status of Space Elevator Tether Materials, Dennis Wright and Adrian Nixon

• 09 Delivering Power to the Space Elevator Climber, Larry Bartoszek

• 10 Inter-Planetary Transportation System, Paul W. Phister, Ph.D, P.E., and Peter A. Swan, Ph.D.

• 11 State of the Art Software Simulator for the Space Elevator, Dennis H. Wright

• 12 Apex Anchor Full Service Transportation Node, Peter A. Swan, Ph.D.

• 13 Reassessing Space Elevator Requirements, Steven Griggs, PhD, MBA, MA

• 14 Space Train: A Novel Solution to Space Elevator Technology, Ned Popovich

• 15 Panel: Vision to Reality: Making NSS Goal’s Happen

Two ISEC papers from the 74th International Astronautical Congress, October 2-6, 2023, Baku, Azerbaijan.

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.

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.

• Raitt, David: Space Elevators: Introduction to This Special Issue.

• Wright, Dennis H.: Building the Space Elevator Tether.

• Bartoszek, Larry & Dennis H. Wright: Payload Design for the Space Elevator Climber.

• Knapman, John M.: Innovation and Research for Space Elevators.

• Swan, Peter A. & Cathy W. Swan: Huge Fast Spacecraft Travelling Our Solar System.

• Woods, Arthur, Andreas Vogler, Patrick Collins: The Lunar Space Elevator: A Key Technology for Realising the Greater Earth Lunar Power Station.

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.

ISEC Intern Presentations 2022

Gupta, Divyanshi. Humans on Space Elevator Transport System (paper) (slides)

Shah, Khushi. Apex Anchor - A Multi-Mission Developmental Program (slides)

6th Global Moon Village Workshop and Symposium, 8-10 Nov 2022, Los Angeles

Swan, Peter. “Space Elevators as a Transformational Logistics Infrastructure for the Moon.” (paper)

20th International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) Symposium on Visions and Strategies for the Future, at the 2022 International Astronautical Congress (IAC-2022), Paris, France, October, 2022

Eddy, Jerry, “Dual Space Access: Evolutionary Step Towards Humankind’s Movement Off-Planet.” (paper) - (slides)

  Fitzgerald, Michael, “Space Elevator Transportation System Development Enables many Missions.” (paper) - (slides)

Griffin, Daniel, “Cislunar Orbital Transportation Study of Space Elevator Apex Anchor Releases.” (paper) - (slides)

  Ishikawa, Yoji, “Space Elevators for Resource Utilization in the Solar System.” (abstract)

Luevano, Eugene, “The Study of Direct, Planetary Insertion Orbits from Space Elevators.” (paper) - (slides)

  Nixon, Adrian, “Space Elevator Tether Materials: An Overview of the Current Candidates.” (abstract) (slides)

Page, William, “Transformational Release of Scientific Payloads from the Apex Anchor – Any Size, Every Day, Anywhere.” (paper) - (slides)

  Robinson, Peter, “Space Elevator Climber Dynamics Analysis and Climb Frequency Optimisation.” (paper) - (slides)

  Robinson, Peter, “Space Elevator Tether Atmospheric Wind Loading and a Cable Lift Concept.” (paper) - (slides)

  Swan, Peter, “Space Elevators as a Transformational Leap for Human Movement Off-Planet.” (paper) - (slides)

National Space Society International Space Development Conference, Permanent Infrastructure – Space Elevators as a Transformational Capability Track, Washington DC, April 1, 2022

Bartoszek, Larry, “Designing a 20 Tonnes Space Elevator Climber – A Starting Point.”

Eddy, Jerry, “Reversing Global Warming Made Possible by Space Elevators.”

Luevano, Gene, “Study of Direct, Planetary Insertion Orbits from Space Elevators.”

Swan, Peter, “Modern Day Space Elevator Transforming Space Access.” (slides)

Wright, Dennis, “How Will the Space Elevator Ascend the Tether?”