SpaceElevatorDeployment

The Deployment

Deploying the ribbon takes innovation and care. The ribbon can not be simply thrown up into space neither can it be blindly dropped down from orbit. The deployment spacecraft is to deliver the first ribbon then climbers will build up and strengthen the ribbon to the point where it is usable.

	Dimension
Spacecraft Mass	80 tons	Launched in sections to LEO, combined then moved to GEO. Roughly half of the launched mass is ribbon, 1/3 spacecraft and remainder fuel.
Mass of first ribbon	40 tons	Launched in two separate spools, ribbon is full length but a total of 20 cm wide
Spacecraft propoulsion	MPD	Electromagentic with very high ISP File:AdvancedPropMod.ods
Power source	MW of beamed power	Power for MPD is beamed up from the ground using the same power systems as planned for the climbers but located at distributed points around the equator
Deployment time for first ribbon	2 weeks	This is determined by the maximum speed of the spools and rollers on the spacecraft. The deployment and expansion must be done quickly to minimize possible impacts and degradation
First climber size	1 ton
Number of construction climbers	280	Climbers grow in size as the ribbon grows and can support more
Construction time	2.5 years	This is for the first stable elevator with 20 ton maximum mass climbers. A system capable of carrying a 100 ton climber would take an additional year to construct.

The working climber design is File:Deployment Spacecraft.dxf. Notes on the design are located File:DeploySpacecraftnotes.odt here.

Status

Large Spacecraft have been built and operated Need additional work on launching first ribbonInclude images and videos Include design write-ups

The deployment spacecraft should be largely built with conventional satellite technology.

Major Work Items

• Spooling of the initial ribbon for launch
• Design and demonstration of splicing techniques for construction of the ribbon

Additional Work Needed

Item	Notes	Completed and Ongoing Efforts
Overall system engineering	Overall satellite constraints and components need to be defined along with the trade-offs for overall performance and subcomponents	Deployment refinement by User 1
Categorize available electromagnetic propulsion systems of the size required	Define, performance, mass, maturity, cost,
Examine large scale ribbon spooling techniques
Ribbon deployment	dynamics, speed, matching tension in multiple ribons, attaching ribbons end-to-end.
Overall structure design	Minimize mass, design to handle oscillations, operation in unidirectional gravity field (0 - 0.1G)	Deployment Work by User 2
Retrieving the end of the ribbon at Earth	General scenario, issues, end unit design, performance requirements
Operations	Work out a detailed operational scenario including fault handling, despooling and speed control

Return to Overview