The space elevator is still far from reality, and the problem of cable materials needs to be overcome

For many years, the space elevator has always been an imaginative concept for human space exploration. However, currently this dream still faces huge challenges and is still far from becoming a reality. Among them, the key problem of cable materials has not been solved yet.

As early as in the last century, scientists proposed the concept of a space elevator, envisioning connecting a space station and the Earth's surface through an ultra-strong structural cable to realize convenient round trips between heaven and earth for people and goods. Many scientific research teams and institutions have invested a lot of energy in researching this.

Take Obayashi Corporation in Japan as an example. As early as 2012, it ambitiously proposed a plan to build a space elevator, aiming to start construction in 2025 and complete it in 2050. But as of now, the project is progressing slowly. According to technicians responsible for the space elevator project development at Obayashi Corporation, there are currently numerous problems to be solved and there is still a long way to go before construction can start.

The biggest problem is cable materials. The cable must be extremely strong to withstand its own huge weight and the tension brought by space facilities. Although carbon nanotube materials are theoretically high in strength and light in weight and are considered ideal materials for making space elevator cables, currently only carbon nanotubes less than 1 centimeter that meet the requirements can be manufactured. It is still far from the goal of making a single carbon nanotube with a length of 96,000 kilometers and connected molecule by molecule.

In addition, the space elevator also faces many other technical challenges. The number of space debris is increasing. For the massive superstructure of the space elevator, it is extremely difficult to avoid collisions and adjust the operating orbit. The cable also faces threats from space debris impacts, strong cosmic radiation, extreme temperature differences, extreme weather such as storms and lightning strikes in the atmosphere, and there is currently no clear solution. At the same time, the requirement of building the space elevator on the equator, as well as its huge supporting facilities and astonishing amount of engineering, have high requirements for nearby transportation conditions. Moreover, offshore bases are vulnerable to storm attacks and face security challenges. Furthermore, the high construction cost is also a major obstacle. Obayashi Corporation estimates the cost to be more than 1 trillion yen (about 6.8 billion US dollars).

Although humans are full of expectations for the space elevator, hoping it can become a convenient space-earth transportation tool in the future and greatly reduce the cost of space transportation, judging from the current situation, due to the failure to solve key problems such as cable materials, the space elevator is still difficult to become a reality in the short term. The road for human exploration of space is still long and full of challenges. All sectors still need to continuously invest in research and development efforts in order to overcome these problems in the future and make the dream of the space elevator come true.