Obayashi

Product/Service - Earth Port

Classification
Cargo Transportation & Landers
Category
Space Elevator
Transport Service (Earth-LEO)
Status
Concept
First launch
2050

Space Elevator

The space elevator is planned to be built by the year 2050 with a capacity to carry 100-ton climbers. It is composed of a 96,000-km carbon nanotube cable, a 400-m diameter floating Earth Port and a 12,500-ton counter-weight. Other facilities include Martian/Lunar Gravity Centers, an Low Earth Orbit Gate, a Geostationary Earth Orbit Station, a Mars Gate and a Solar System Exploration Gate.

The construction process consists of deploying the cable and constructing the facilities. It is necessary to analyze the cable dynamics in order to estimate the characteristics of the cable, counter-weight, facilities and climbers, and in order to determine the construction procedures. Parameters for the cable dynamics include tension, displacement and elongation of the cable due to ascending climbers, masses of counter-weight and cable, wind, and fixed loads of facilities. With the help of a computer simulation of the equations of motion, we designed the system and determined the construction process.

Based on the results, we conclude the following: construction will be technically feasible with an assumed cable tensile strength of 150 GPa, it will take roughly 20 years to construct the cable, the impacts of wind or Coriolis force on cable displacement are small, and it is essential to fix one end of the cable to the earth's surface, always applying pre-tension at the ground end. According to the plan, a 20-ton cable is deployed initially, and is reinforced 510 times by climbers up to 7,000 tons, ascending in succession over roughly 18 years. The facilities are then transported and constructed within one year.

Japan's Space construction innovation project, 2023

  • Technical Development of Production and Construction Methods for Moon Base Construction Materials using Lunar Resources
    • It costs a huge amount of money to transport construction materials from Earth by rocket to construct bases for lunar exploration activities. Therefore, we are conducting R&D on a technology that uses lunar regolith as a material, heats regorith with microwaves, lasers, etc. using solar power energy, produces a product on site, and uses this as a construction material. 
    • We will improve the quality and manufacturing efficiency of heating manufacturing technology using lasers, microwaves, etc. , and verify its applicability in lunar environments such as vacuum and low gravity. We will also proceed with the development of materials other than fired products, such as inorganic fibers. Furthermore, we will clarify the superiority of this technology over similar technologies.
    • Technology classification: Production of building materials
    • Co-implementer: Nagoya Institute of Technology, Institute for Laser Technology
  • Requirement Definitions of Deployable Structures and R&D of Unmanned Setup System on Lunar Surface
    • At an initial Lunar base construction stage, reducing materials and construction works is desirable. From several candidates studied in a past feasibility study, some most effective deployable structures are selected, and their R&D is undergoing while making required performance and setup methods clear based on demands in each Lunar exploration phase.
    • For the deployable structures such as Lunar habitat modules, shelters and utility modules, the technical innovativeness and superiority for the resemblance technologies of this system shall be confirmed along with social effects and its possibility of the utilization in a practical use for future application to space developments such as Lunar surface.
    • Technology classification: Simple facility
    • Co-implementer: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Muroran Institute of Technology, Sakase AdTech Co., Ltd.

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