>maybe has reasons to ignore the launch loop for that purpose True. I think you would probably agree that they're more technical than anti-competitive. Musk ha

>maybe has reasons to ignore the launch loop for that purpose True. I think you would probably agree that they're more technical than anti-competitive. Musk has called space elevators a long-term optimization, but points out that you still need rockets anyway. Engineering-wise, a small loop is a lot easier than an orbit-capable loop. >is there any reason a launch loop needs to be vertically oriented? In the canonical implementation, the loop is actually fired horizontally from the base stations. The curve ofhe Earth makes the angle for the vertical component. You're quite right, of course, that the optimized design for launching is different from the optimized design for transport. I picture in my head a >20° departure angle, but I haven't run the math so I really don't know. I don't quite understand your question. Could you clarify?