Japan is about to test the elevator into space

Japanese scientists launch a world-leading elevator to the space station and prepare for testing.

In theory, passengers using the elevator will travel on the medium connected to the cable car. This cable is mounted on a counterweight placed in a gravity setting environment. This technology does not use missiles so it does not consume large amounts of fuel. When needed, the vehicle can be moved up and down by the cable car.

The scientists plan to test elevators on the International Space Station. (Photo: Bruce Irving).

According to Tech Insider, a group of Japanese scientists at Shizuoka University created the STAR-C space elevator technology . The STAR-C is made in the form of a micro-satellite that provides the cable between the Earth and the orbiting space station, far above the atmosphere.

The STAR-C prototype introduced in Japan on June 8 contained a 2.66kg satellite. The satellite consists of two 10 cm cubes connected to a 100 m long wires made of Kevlar fibers, a super-hard and durable material.

STAR-C will be posted to the International Space Station (ISS) and dropped onto Kibo, a bay owned by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). When flying in space, the two cube blocks of STAR-C will separate from one another to test Kevlar cables.

The results of the experiment will provide useful information on how to improve the space elevator, as well as considerations before designing and developing the full version of the technology. In addition, the experiment also collected data to develop a technology to remove space wastes around the Earth. STAR-C will send data back to Earth via radio frequency.