The space elevator technology offers a new way to access space using completely reusable hardware and saving more than 30 percent of the fuel of a conventional rocket.

“Astronauts would ascend to 20 km by electrical elevator,” said Dr Brendan Quine, Chief Technical Officer at Thoth Technology Inc.

“From the top of the tower, space planes will launch in a single stage to orbit, returning to the top of the tower for refueling and reflight.”

The freestanding space elevator tower is pneumatically pressurized and actively-guided over its base.

Reaching 12 miles (20 km) above the planet, it would stand more than twenty times the height of current tall structures and be used for wind-energy generation, communications and tourism.

“I believe the space tower, coupled with self-landing rocket technologies being developed by others, will herald a new era of space transportation,” said Caroline Roberts, President and CEO of Thoth Technology Inc.

“Landing on a barge at sea level is a great demonstration, but landing at 12 miles above sea level will make space flight more like taking a passenger jet,” she said.

“A freestanding space elevator tower for launching payloads, tourism, observation, scientific research and communications,” reads the abstract in the U.S. Pat. No. 9,085,897.

“The space elevator tower has a segmented elevator core structure, each segment being formed of at least one pneumatically pressurized cell. The pressure cells may be filled with air or another gas.”

“Elevator cars may ascend or descend on the outer surface of the elevator core structure or in a shaft on the interior of the elevator core structure.”

“A payload may be launched from a pod or deck at the upper end of the space elevator tower.”

“The space elevator tower is stabilized by gyroscopic and active control machinery. The space elevator tower maintains a desired pressure level through gas compressor machinery.”