The Economics of a Space Elevator
Eric A. Westling · 2002
The Space Elevator (SE) is not just another way to access space. It is a shift in the concept of space travel as large as the shift from dirigibles to the 747. To accomplish this the SE must be economically viable, an enterprise that is able to pay its way. We will show that through proper management and the application of new concepts such as "fractional load packing" (FLP) the SE is not only economically viable, more than able to repay its construction costs, but as a system it can save 99.9% of current space access costs, making it comparable to other forms of commercial transportation.