The intent of this claim is to show that the geometric straightness required for the underground ramp section of the launcher is achievable using existing tunneling, surveying, and track-adjustment technologies. The ramp begins horizontally and curves upward until it reaches a slope of 5.25 degrees over a total length of 75,472 m. For the purposes of this claim, it is assumed that the ramp tunnel is bored through a large, stable volcanic massif such as Mauna Kea (elevation ≈ 4,200 m above sea level) or an equivalently tall mountain.

Modern long-base tunnels demonstrate that over tens of kilometers, tunnel boring machines (TBMs) can be guided with centimeter-scale accuracy using a combination of surface geodesy and in-tunnel positioning. At the Gotthard Base Tunnel, where two bores from opposite sides of the mountain met deep underground, and with one of the two bores having a total length of 57 km, at the final breakthrough the total deviation was only 3 mm at the meeting point.

This level of accuracy was achieved using high-precision surface control networks, laser theodolite traverse measurements inside the tunnel, and TBM guidance systems that continuously monitored position and attitude relative to the design alignment. Similar techniques are now standard practice for long tunnels worldwide, including base tunnels driven under complex Alpine geology.

For a 75.5 km ramp tunnel, the same family of techniques can be applied. A network of GPS/GNSS control points and stable benchmarks on the mountain surface can be used to establish a high-precision reference frame. Within the tunnel, total stations and laser trackers can transfer this reference frame underground via survey shafts or from each portal. TBMs or roadheaders can then be equipped with integrated guidance systems combining laser targets, gyroscopic or inertial navigation units, and real-time convergence measurements, allowing the excavation to be steered to within a few centimeters of the design alignment over the full length of the tunnel. Industry practice and the Gotthard Base Tunnel example indicate that achieving on the order of a few centimeters of positional error at breakthrough, and sub-centimeter vertical accuracy, is realistic over tens of kilometers in competent rock.

The tunnel excavation itself does not need to meet the final, millimeter-scale straightness requirements of the maglev or launch guideway. Instead, the guideway is constructed as a separate structure inside the tunnel using ballastless slab-track concepts that are already standard for high-speed rail. In such systems, the running surface is supported on precast or cast-in-place concrete slabs, with the rails or guideway beams attached via adjustable fasteners, shims, or jacking screws. Modern slab-track systems for 350 km/h high-speed rail require alignment tolerances on the order of ±1 mm in rail height and gauge, and similar ±1–2 mm tolerances in level and horizontal alignment, which are achieved in practice during construction and verified by precision survey.

Commercial slab-track adjustment solutions, such as those using specialized trolleys and software (for example, Trimble GEDO Track), provide on-site correction values that allow contractors to iteratively adjust slab support points until the track geometry falls within these tolerances over long distances.

For the ramp tunnel, an analogous system can be used for the launch guideway. The structural tube or guideway beams are supported on a regular grid of adjustable supports anchored into the tunnel invert. Each support provides several millimeters to centimeters of adjustable range in vertical and lateral directions and allows fine angular adjustment in roll and pitch. After the supports are installed, the guideway is set roughly to line and level, and then a sequence of precision surveys is used to calculate correction values. These values are applied by jacking or shimming the supports, after which the positions are locked with grout or mechanical locking devices. Because the tunnel bore already follows the design alignment to within centimeters, the adjustable supports only need to correct small residual deviations and accommodate long-term deformation or settlement, keeping the required adjustment range modest and well within the capability of existing systems.

In summary, the combination of (1) proven TBM guidance and surveying techniques that can hold a long tunnel to centimeter-level accuracy relative to the design alignment, and (2) ballastless track–style adjustable supports that routinely achieve millimeter-level geometric tolerances for high-speed rail, provides a clear path to achieving the required geometric straightness of the 75,472 m underground ramp. Boring the tunnel through a large, competent volcanic or mountainous mass is compatible with these methods and does not introduce any known geometric-control requirements that exceed current tunneling and slab-track adjustment practice.