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Tether Climber Competition

From mechanical design to control systems, this challenge is about building robotic climbers capable of ascending a vertical tether.

Engineering the Climb

The Climber Competition is the headline challenge of WSPEC. It tasks teams with building robotic climbers capable of ascending a vertical tether while transporting a payload using only stored electrical energy.

The Heart of the System

As a critical component of the space elevator concept, climbers must be efficient, reliable, and capable of operating in extreme conditions over long distances. Their development involves challenges in robotics, materials, power systems, and control, making them a central focus in turning the vision of continuous, scalable space access into reality.

Team member preparing a tether climber at a WSPEC competition

Tether Climber

The Challenge

Tether climber concept illustration
Standardized payload cubes illustration
Climber run and control conditions illustration

What your climber must do

  • Ascends a vertical flat tether under its own stored electrical power
  • Carries a set of standardized payload cubes
  • Operates safely and reliably, either autonomously or under ground control
  • Climbers must complete a valid run to the top of the tether, carrying minimum payload, and come to a stop under defined control conditions

Competition Cycle

To give every team adequate time to engineer high-performance solutions, every competition in our season follows the same lifecycle. This structure allows teams to plan their academic year around the planning, building, and competitions with certainty.

  • Rulebooks are released. Teams should begin finalizing their strategy and securing fundraising to prepare for the build cycle.

  • Teams should be fully registered by this stage to maximize engineering time and focus on prototype development.

  • Applications close and technical proof is due. Teams must submit video footage or CAD models to prove compliance and pay final admission fees.

  • Teams travel to the on-site competition to test their prototypes in a real-life environment, verifying their performance data against peers in a live, real-world scenario.

  • Teams contribute to the ecosystem by submitting a wrap up report, outlining their technical journey and share findings that raise the standard for future competitions.

Current timeline

Specifications

Technical Requirements

*subject to change

Download the full rulebook

Rules & Parameters

  • Max total mass: 50 kg (climber + payload)
  • Dimensions: 1m x 1m footprint, max 2m height
  • Center of gravity: must stay within ±100 mm of the tether (X/Y axes)
  • Tether: flat, 35 mm wide, 2 mm thick, para-aramid fiber

Accepted Technologies

  • Only stored electrical energy is permitted
  • No chemical propulsion or aerodynamic lift
  • Climber must stop automatically at the top and when input is lost
  • Payload cubes and data-logging units (PlMU) provided by organizers

Environmental Conditions

  • Competition is hosted outdoors unless otherwise stated
  • Climbers must function in ambient weather conditions
  • No manipulation of the tether is allowed during installation

Ready to start the climb?

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