space elevator

noun

plural space elevators

: a theoretical structure consisting primarily of a long cable that is anchored at the ground, at the midpoint by a satellite in geosynchronous orbit, and at its outer extremity to another mass (such as an asteroid), and that is designed to replace rockets as a method of transporting people and goods into outer space

In a little-noticed article, Artsutanov proposed an immense "heavenly funicular," or space elevator—a geosynchronous satellite with cables reaching up to the heavens and down to Earth.

—Doug Stewart

Examples of space elevator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Krane told me that in Google’s early days, Brin and Page were obsessed with the idea of building a space elevator that could move people from Earth to the moon, and back again. —Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2024

Whoever controls the space elevator controls the future, and that dead CEO might not stay dead. —Charlie Jane Anders, Washington Post, 18 July 2023

Elsewhere, several Spider-People chase Miles across the body of a rocket and up what appears to be a space elevator. —Stephanie Burt, The New Yorker, 14 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above