Space Elevator

"That’s why you’re sent to that planet. You [have] to build this thing, you construct this giant space elevator and you funnel resources into it in a few stages. You can finish [Satisfactory] and get to the end and press the ‘I Win’ button."

- Oscar Jilsén

The Space Elevator is a large structure related to the game-end objective, "Project Assembly". It must be constructed and then be used to send resources into orbit. Each delivery unlocks 2 higher tiers of milestones.

It can be visible from all parts of the map, making it a useful landmark for navigation.

Food court
According to Jace and Sofi, there is supposedly a food court at the top of the space elevator, but they are very likely trolling. No fish is served there.

Some players have made it to the top of the elevator.

Building and Relocation
The player must construct the space elevator to unlock Tier 3 and above. Only one space elevator can be built in a game, however it can be dismantled and relocated any time if the player wishes to.

In a multiplayer game, the space elevator is shared among all players.

Tips
After unlocking tier 3 and 4, the space elevator can be dismantled to reuse the materials for other things, like setting up coal power. It can then be rebuilt when the player is ready to unlock tier 5 and 6. Alternatively, leaving the Space Elevator built can be handy as it is visible from a good distance away and can be used as a guide for exploring players to find their way back to their Hub/main factory, assuming it is built close by.

Trivia

 * After each delivery the space elevator will ascend to the sky for a few minutes then descend back to the lower level.
 * Although it has a terminal in its model, the player is able to interact with the space elevator from any angle.
 * In a multiplayer game, if a player sends off the items by pulling the handle, other players will not be able to see the animated handle in the space elevator UI if they opened the UI at the same time.
 * The delivery mechanism of the space elevator doesn't have collision maps, so if the player managed to work their way up to the top, they won't be able to walk around on it.
 * Project Assembly itself cannot be seen in-game, but it can be seen in the E3 trailer.