Oh no, I scrolled all that way and didn't even reach some destination! Where does this space elevator go? No one knows! Would have been bit more satisfying if it ended up at a space station or something, as I think that's the purpose of the space elevator idea in the first place :)
I think it could but does not necessarily have to reach a station. The elevator just has to clear the atmosphere, right? As they say: once you're in orbit, you're halfway to anywhere.
Presumably the elevator would lift cargo, fuel, maybe even the actual rocket into orbit where maneuvering is easier. Once it's in space and in orbit, substantially less fuel is required maneuver.
I think you might be talking about something else than a "space elevator"? A space elevator would just go up and down as far as I understand, not horizontally, and if you wanna end up in orbit, you need horizontal movement, not vertical.
