Originally Posted by rickair7777

Great idea, and would be a game changer for anything space related, just one little problem...

The required tensile strength of the tether (which is non-negotiable based on orbital mechanics) far exceeds the strength of any available construction material.

They'd have to come up with some really exotic molecular structures, which can then be produced on a vast scale with appropriate economics. And can survive in space (hot, cold, radiation, UV, etc) with strength and durability intact. May not be possible this century.

Could well happen eventually, but there are too many hurdles to consider this a valid course of action to pursue near-term. And the tether anchor needs to be in a remote area, in case it ever gets cut (large meteor impact)... that would be a whole lot of mass coming down with a lot of potential energy.