Jack of Harts

Every major colony world has at least one orbital elevator of some kind. They were all but required to support major imports and exports before Contact. Rocket launches were expensive, and standard colonization packages have come equipped with starter elevator kits since the 2150s. While not as capable as permanent orbital elevators, these single-tether elevators are generally everything a young colony needs. And many smaller colonies have never upgraded to a larger system at all.