{"id":2456,"date":"2025-04-24T12:00:06","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T19:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spaceelevatorblog.com\/?p=2456"},"modified":"2025-04-24T13:50:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T20:50:58","slug":"something-old-something-new-isec-and-sedevco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spaceelevatorblog.com\/?p=2456","title":{"rendered":"Something Old, Something New: ISEC and SEDevCo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine a ribbon stretching 100,000 km into space, ferrying payloads to orbit daily\u2014cheaply and sustainably. That\u2019s the dream driving the International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC)<\/a>, founded in 2008, and its newer “partner”, the Space Elevator Development Corporation (SEDevCo)<\/a>. I was there at ISEC\u2019s inception, helping shape its mission, and I\u2019m very pleased to reintroduce ISEC to my readers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>ISEC: Pioneering the Vision<\/strong>
\nISEC took shape in 2008, and beginning shortly after its launch, I served as its president for four years. One of our proudest achievements was launching annual studies tackling key space elevator challenges. For example, our 2010 study, Space Elevator Survivability: Space Debris Mitigation<\/a>, addressed how real the problem of orbital debris is, while the 2013 study, Design Considerations for Space Elevator Climbers<\/a>, explored how climbers could be powered and operated.<\/p>\n

When I stepped down, Dr. Peter Swan took over as President and expanded ISEC\u2019s expertise, recruiting specialists in materials science, aerospace engineering, commercial space operations, among other disciplines. Today, ISEC\u2019s studies<\/a> cover such topics as the Apex Anchor, software simulators, and climber-tether interfaces, with their work showcased at events like the International Space Development Conference. A more detailed description of ISEC\u2019s activities can be found on their What We Do<\/a> webpage. \u00a0Upcoming posts will dive deeper into ISEC\u2019s ongoing efforts.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>SEDevCo: Building the Future<\/strong>
\nEnter SEDevCo, a newcomer turning ISEC\u2019s research into reality. While ISEC focuses on science and education, SEDevCo\u2019s mission “is to accomplish activities leading to the development of the world\u2019s first Space Elevator Transportation System”.<\/em> Dr. Swan, Chief Architect for both organizations, bridges their efforts. The path to SEDevCo\u2019s formation is detailed in ISEC\u2019s September 2024 Newsletter<\/a>, but their focus is clear: make space elevators real. Visit SEDevCo\u2019s website<\/a> and grab their pamphlet<\/a>\u2014it\u2019s a crash course in why space elevators would revolutionize space access.<\/p>\n

A Glimpse of Tomorrow<\/strong>
\nCheck out a gem from SEDevCo\u2019s website: an amazing video by Lux Virtual showing a future space elevator operation from a futuristic ocean-based port. It\u2019s a glimpse of a future that ranks very high on my cool-o-meter.<\/p>\n