Space Elevator Economics - Building And Operating A Superhighway To Space (Narration Only)

Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur

Isaac Arthur

Science, Futurism, Sci Fi, Future, Scifi, Technology, Space, Engineering

4.8 • 739 Ratings

🗓️ 19 June 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Explore the real economics of building and operating a space elevator—from ship-launched ribbons to megaton climbers—and how this infrastructure could change the world.

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Credits:

Space Elevator Economics: Building And Operating A Superhighway To Space

Episode 726; June 19, 2025

Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur

Edited by:

Adrian Nixon

Ludwig Luska

Peter Swan

Graphics:

Anthrofuturism

Atlantis Project

Katie Byrne

Phil Swan

Sergio Botero

Udo Schroeter

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, SFIA audio listeners.
0:02.5	In this month's Nebula exclusive, big alien theory,
0:05.2	we're asked at the reason alien civilizations might be rare
0:08.0	is because most aliens are huge.
0:10.5	To hear it and every episode early and ad-free,
0:13.3	plus hours of bonus content,
0:15.1	check out go.nebola.tv slash Isaac Arthur,
0:17.6	and use my code, Isaac Arthur.
0:21.1	Throughout history, great civilizations have built monumental infrastructure,
0:26.4	roads, canals, railways, and highways that reshaped the world.
0:31.6	Could the next great engineering project be a superhighway to space?
0:36.1	A space elevator could revolutionize access to orbit, but like all
0:40.4	grand infrastructure projects, its success depends on two key factors, materials and economics.
0:49.8	A few months ago, we explored space elevators, the improvements in their designs, and the challenges that remain.
0:56.7	We concluded that the prospects are improving, as we now have non-microscopic quantities and materials strong enough to make one feasible.
1:05.0	However, many obstacles still stand in the way, and we didn't get to cover them all.
1:09.6	That episode ran nearly an hour long,
1:11.7	and even then, we only scratched the surface of certain topics. Two key areas that
1:16.4	deserve more attention were the economics of space elevators, how they would be funded, built
1:21.1	and operated, and a deeper dive into material options. Today we'll focus on economics and practical
1:26.8	use of a space elevator, and
1:28.8	next month we'll take a deep dive into materials that can make it possible. And of course,
	...

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