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Tech & Science

It sounds like a science fiction plotline—a space elevator. Now, it may be a possibility.

Scientists at Japan’s Shizuoka University are testing the space elevator, a potential solution to getting materials or satellites off of Earth. On September 11, the team will launch a scale model of the motorized box into Earth’s orbit.

The elevator consists of two cubic satellites that are only 4 inches on each side. The satellites will be connected by a 33-foot steel cable. The parts of the machine will launch on H-IIB rocket from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Tanegashima Space Center to the International Space Station (ISS).

"It's going to be the world's first experiment to test elevator movement in space," a university spokesman told AFP. From the ISS, the two satellites will be released into space. On the cable that attaches the satellites, a container will move using a motor. There will be a camera attached to the satellites that will record the container in action.