The Skyhook space elevator is not operational as of the end of 2076. Hazard Pay covers the extent of the project up to 2075-75, but suffice to say, there have been setbacks.
I just finished reading up on Hazard Pay, and as has been mentioned I think it should be noted that "not operational" in this case means "not fully operational".
In 2071, construction finally began. The first element completed was the base facility just outside of Panama City; after that, the main station’s superstructure was built and put into orbit. With the early arrival of the material and ballast asteroids in early 2073, construction on Skyhook moved ahead of schedule for the first time in the project’s existence. Later that year, with the help of current nano-forge technology, the fist two elevator cables were completed and attached to the ballast asteroid. A few months later, the framework for Skyhook’s main station was attached to the cables, and a prefabricated temporary operations center was installed. By 2074, Skyhook became partially operational after a series of field tests confimed both elevator cables were functional. The next two elevator cables are scheduled for completion within the next fifteen months, and the main station section will be done in the next five to six years. Based on current projections, Skyhook will be completed and fully operational by late 2085 or early 2086.
So, while Skyhook isn't fully operational it is partially operational by the beginning of the 5th Edition timeline in 2075.
Two functional elevator cables, a temporary operations center, and mining operations on the ballast asteroid? Sounds like the makings of a shadowrun to me
