LiftPort Group, a consortium dedicated to building a geosynchronous space elevator system is proceeding with development and engineering testing, as has been noted previously by the Chief.
In this phase of testing, conducted earlier this month in Arizona, LiftPort successfully launched an observation and communication platform a full mile in the air and maintained it in a stationary position for more than six hours while robotic lifters climbed up and down a ribbon attached to the platform. The platform, a proprietary system that the company has named “HALE” (High Altitude Long Endurance), was secured in place by an arrangement of high altitude balloons, which were also used to launch it. The robotic lifters measured five feet, six inches and climbed to a height of more than 1500 feet, surpassing its last test record by more than 500 feet.
This is a truly radical engineering project, that can revolutionize our ability to get easily into orbital space. Then, lthe sky’s NOT the limit!