Orbital Rings

Space Within Reach

This book is an attempt to realistically approach orbital ring systems. To do that, we’re going to address it in five sections:

1. What are orbital rings? Why do we want them?

2. What are the technical challenges? How do we solve them?

3. How do we build the first orbital ring?

4. How do we grow the orbital ring system?

5. What are the legal, political, and economic challenges and how do we approach them?

While there will be some speculation about the future, we’re going to ground this in the science available to us today and justify every claim to the best of our ability. Along the way, there will be linear algebra, calculus, and code, but every bit of it will be explained in plain English; the goal is for every reader to be able to understand the content, and for the mathematically inclined to be able to double-check and question every claim made.

Table of Contents

Part I. Introduction: The whats and whys of orbital rings

• 1. What Are Orbital Rings?
• 2. Transportation
• 3. Solar Power
• 4. CO₂ Reduction
• 5. Communication
• 6. Astronomy, Hospitality, and More
• 7. Space Travel

Part II. Technical Aspects

• 8. The Trouble With Tethers
• 9. Positioning Our Rings

Part III. How Do We Build The First Ring?

• 10. The Minimum Viable Ring

Part IV. How Do We Grow?

• 11. Bulking Up The MVR

Part V. Non-Technical Challenges

• 12. Geopolitics