In Taoist philosophy, the number 2 embodies yin and yang—complementary forces that create harmony, like Earth and sky in balance. The number 2 also drives binary code and cosmic orbits, sparking technological progress. And did you know that in ancient Egypt, the god Thoth, flanked by two ibises, symbolized equilibrium?
In space tech, two elevator designs—Earth’s 100,000-km spinning tether and the Moon’s 250,000-km gravity-taut cable—reflect this balance, promising to haul megatons to orbit. One design shines in a bold tech contest, the other in a visionary lunar plan—let’s explore both.
HackerNoon and Spacecoin Champion Earth-Bound Space Elevators
The Spacecoin Writing Contest, hosted by tech publishing giant HackerNoon and decentralized internet pioneer Spacecoin, is fueling future-based thinking. HackerNoon, with its 4 million monthly readers and commitment to open-access content, partnered with Spacecoin—already launching satellites to deliver borderless connectivity—to inspire writers to explore space tech and blockchain. Their contest, running from December 2024 to September 2025 with a 15,000 USDT prize pool, has already delivered gems.
In Round 1, finalist @nftbro’s post, Here’s How a Space Elevator Could Work, took the runner-up spot in the #spacetech category. The article dives into the mechanics of an Earth-based space elevator: a cable stretching from the planet’s surface out to 100,000 kilometers in space, held taut by Earth’s rotation, with climbers hauling cargo skyward. Check out the full post on HackerNoon and see why Spacecoin’s satellite-powered mission is the perfect backdrop for such bold ideas. Kudos to both sponsors for elevating the space elevator conversation!
Lunar Space Elevators: Earth’s Gravity for the Win
While Earth’s rotation powers the classic space elevator, a lunar space elevator flips the script, using Earth’s gravity to keep its cable taut. Inspired by a Universe Today article, “A Comprehensive Plan to Manufacture a Solar Power Satellite from Lunar Materials,” we’re exploring a tether anchored on the Moon’s surface, extending to a counterweight 250,000 km toward Earth. Unlike Earth’s design, which relies on centrifugal force, this system uses Earth’s gravity pulling on the counterweight at the end of the Lunar tether to keep it taut.
The Universe Today article outlines a plan to build solar power satellites using lunar materials, but the lunar space elevator’s true potential lies in its ability to haul massive amounts of cargo—think megatons of regolith, metals, or even prefabricated satellite components—into space. Rockets, limited by fuel costs and payload constraints, can’t compete with a system that, once built, could operate like a cosmic conveyor belt. Earth’s gravity does the heavy lifting (pun intended), making the lunar elevator a low-energy, high-capacity solution for lunar mining and beyond.
Two solutions—earth’s rotation or gravity—it’s very cool (and fitting!) that our planet powers both of them.