This project is divided into two challenges: Power Beaming and Tether Strength. The Space Elevator vision will not only further space exploration and knowledge, but has the potential to shape the existential future of the human race for centuries to come. Elevator:2010 is designed to address the “social engineering” of the Space Elevator. Taking their cue from the X-prize, solar car races, and various other competitive ventures, Elevator:2010 uses engineering competitions as a tool to capture mind-share in academia, space enthusiast community, and the general public. Prize money is provided by NASA’s Centennial Challenges program – a total of $4,000,000 over 5 years!

The Power Beaming challenge will continue to influence public perception of the Space Elevator project by demonstrating progressively more accurate (and more impressive!) prototypes of the Space Elevator system. By participating, you get the opportunity to partner in writing this unique chapter of history. In this challenge, the Spaceward Foundation provides the race track, in the form of a vertically-suspended tether, and the competing teams provide Space Elevator prototypes, featuring climbers that have to scale the tether using only power that is transferred to them from the ground using beamed power.

The Tether Strength challenge is the single most difficult task in building the Space Elevator — developing a material that is both strong enough and light enough to support the 60,000 mile long tether. Compared to the best commercially available tether, the challenge needs a material that is almost 25 times better – about as great a leap as from wood to metal. In order to encourage CNT laboratories to pay more attention to the Space Elevator we have posted an open dare to industry and academia: We will award the teams that can come up with the best Space Elevator tether sample, provided that they can beat the best commercial tether on the market by a factor of 2.

Project owners + coordinators:
The Spaceward Foundation