Anchored earth tether transportation structures are the other way for relatively large scale, economical transportation from the ground to GEO, besides KESTS. Tethers could reach far beyond GEO, in fact would have to do so, to balance the weight of the tether below GEO. Vehicles climbing up and down such tethers would need to be supplied lift energy all along the way up and down, such as by aimed high power lasers. Such anchored tether transportation structures ought to be compatible with KESTS, providing they are designed to be so.

Due to the much lower transportation capacity and efficiency of tethers as compared to KESTS, it is likely that they would mostly be used as centrifugal slingshots from their far end, out beyond GEO, releasing spacecraft as boosted by the earth's angular velocity. Spacecraft would be brought up on KESTS, moved to the connection point at GEO to the tether, and alllowed to ride the tether out, releasing when in the desired direction and velocity, for special missions.

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