Carmack revives rotovators: spinning tethers could slash the cost of space-based data centers
ID_AA_Carmack · x · 2026-09-03
- John Carmack argues that with space industrialization for data centers now within the Overton window, it's time to revisit rotovators (momentum-exchange tethers).
- Even if Starship hits all design goals with cheap orbital reusability, rotating tethers could substantially cut propellant consumption and operational challenges.
- The concept: a tapered cable a few hundred km long with a dead weight, spinning like a wheel spoke in orbit; a rocket flying below orbital velocity grabs the tether tip and gets flung into stable orbit.
- He cites Falcon precision landings and SuperHeavy catches as evidence that precise docking of big rockets is now feasible.
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