HomeSpace & AstronomySpace Elevator Coriolis Deflection

Space Elevator Coriolis Deflection

Interactive 3D simulation of a space-elevator climber ascending toward a counterweight beyond geostationary orbit, showing how Earth's rotation and the Coriolis force tilt the tether east-west as it climbs.

Space & Astronomy3DModerate60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted
space-tech-topic-79 ↗ Open standalone

A space-elevator climber does not just move straight up — as it ascends the co-rotating tether, Earth's rotation bends its path in the rotating frame into a westward-deflecting Coriolis force. This simulation carries a climber from the surface anchor toward a counterweight beyond geostationary orbit while a driven, damped torsional model tilts the whole tether east–west in response, exactly as real space-elevator engineering studies model the effect. Adjust climb speed, tether stiffness and damping, watch the deflection angle and Coriolis acceleration update live, and see the elevator cross geostationary radius where gravity's pull gives way to the counterweight's outward tension.

⚙ Under the hood

Watch a climber ascend a space-elevator tether from Earth's surface toward a counterweight beyond geostationary orbit while the Coriolis force from Earth's rotation tilts the whole tether east-west, with live readouts of altitude, deflection angle and Coriolis acceleration.

space elevatorcoriolis forceorbital mechanicstether dynamicsgeostationary orbit

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install

What did you find?

Add reproduction steps (optional)