Also inspired by an xkcd… Space Fountain?

It’s apparently a different design, with a similar goal, as the space elevator.

I don’t understand the details of its working, but it sounds like it doesn’t have a physical shell… it just throws things up in a constant loop.

The Space Fountain acts as a continuous mass driver with captive projectiles
travelling in a closed loop.

The wiki likened it to a giant fly wheel. It said it’s probably less likely then a space elevator, but more likely then a launch loop or orbital ring. It also goes on to list some pretty cool real-world applications like using them instead of building TV towers launching more satellites.