20-Kilometer Inflatable Tower Could Make Space Launches Cheaper

Launching space vehicles is still very costly because booster rockets are not reusable. A space elevator could make it dramatically cheaper but we still do not have the material for the space cable that could lift such an elevator to a height that would eliminate the need for a booster rocket. Canadian company Thoth Technologies won a U.S. patent for a different solution – an elevator encased within a 20-kilometer space tower that could bring people and vehicles much closer to outer space. VOA’s George Putic reports.