Japan to test space elevator

Japanese scientists have created the world's first elevator to a space station and are preparing to test it.

Scientists plan to test an elevator on the International Space Station. Photo: Bruce Irving.

In theory, passengers using the space elevator would travel on a vehicle connected to a cable car. The cable car is attached to a counterweight placed in a zero-gravity environment. This technology does not use rockets, so it does not consume a large amount of fuel. When needed, the vehicle can move up or down by cable car.

According to Tech Insider, a group of Japanese scientists at Shizuoka University created a space elevator technology called STAR-C. STAR-C is built in the form of a microsatellite that provides a cable connecting Earth and an orbiting space station, far above the atmosphere.

The STAR-C prototype, unveiled in Japan on June 8, contains a 2.66 kg satellite. The satellite consists of two 10 cm cubes connected by a 100 m long cable made of Kevlar, a super-strong and durable material.

STAR-C will be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) and dropped into Kibo, a capsule owned by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). While in space, the two STAR-C cubes will separate to test the Kevlar cables.

The results of the experiment will provide useful information about the possibilities for improving the space elevator, as well as what to consider before designing and developing a full version of the technology. In addition, the experiment will collect data to develop technology to clean up space debris orbiting Earth. STAR-C will send data back to Earth via radio waves.

According to VNE