It looks like Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino isn’t the only one making progress on their space elevator! On the eve of the debut of his Gundam Reconguista in G, which, from its inception, revolved around the science fiction-ish concept, a Japanese construction firm has announced their plans to make it a reality.
ABC News Australia reports that Japanese construction firm Obayashi has a 2050 completion date in mind for a space elevator will reach 96,000 kilometers (59,652 miles). Constructed using carbon nanotechnology for its cables, the elevator will carry around 30 people magnetic motor powered robot cars on a journey that will take seven days to finish.
“The tensile strength is almost a hundred times stronger than steel cable so it’s possible,” Obayashi Research and Development Manager Yoji Ishikawa said.
“Right now we can’t make the cable long enough. We can only make 3-centimetre-long nanotubes but we need much more… we think by 2030 we’ll be able to do it.”
