Thoth Technologies has been approved for a patent for a 12-mile high tower to save space-bound aircraft some fuel.

The Canadian company detailed their tower in a news release last month, while also announcing their patent for a "space elevator" was approved in the United States.

"Reaching 20 km above the planet, it would stand more than 20 times the height of current tall structures and be used for wind-energy generation, communications and tourism," Thoth Technologies said in the release.

The U.S. is currently trying to end its reliance on the Russian government for taxying astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). While NASA is already investing in a different solution in the near future, the space elevator could just be another option for the space agency further down the road.

Astronauts would ascend to 20 km by electrical elevator. From the top of the tower, space planes will launch in a single stage to orbit, returning to the top of the tower for refueling and reflight," Dr. Brendan Quine, the space elevator's inventor, said in the release.

Caroline Roberts, the company's president and CEO, even referenced SpaceX, the U.S. company developing commercial spacecraft to carry astronauts to the ISS. Aside from their space taxi, SpaceX is trying to develop a rocket that can land back on Earth for re-use.

"Landing on a barge at sea level is a great demonstration," Roberts said in the release, "but landing at 12 miles above sea level will make space flight more like taking a passenger jet."

(Source: Thoth Technologies)