Space Elevators

Space elevators are long cable structures that permit easy transport between surface and orbit. They consist of one or more tethers anchored to the surface of a world on one end, a counterweight in space on the other end, and a center of mass at surface-stationary orbit in the middle. Elevators with a single tether must be anchored at the equator, however space elevators can instead utilize multiple anchor points offset from the equator by balancing the tensions of each line; such a structure can additionally allow for surface-to-surface transport from one anchor point to another.

Space elevators require kilometers of strong tensile material; at the center of mass, the tether must support all the weight of the structure below it as well as the pull of the counterweight above. Space elevators are most commonly utilized on lower-mass worlds, where the gravitational pull is weaker and the surface-synchronous orbit is lower.