can't you get higher efficiency at low impulses though?
there are no insane power demands if you can get a balanced system going, so normal energy can be used rather then big rockets.
if you get a big nuclear powered flying platform (think like a big version of the airforce nuclear reactor powered b52) you could avoid the thicker winds. And deliver stuff to the platform as it flies around.
nuclear reactors, electric motors and ion thrusters might be safer, more environmental and cheaper then giant rocket barrages.
even if you threw massive money into rockets think of all the pollution from combustion. I think you need the power of the atom.
Also no wasteful gigantic super capacitor banks for earth based rail guns and stuff. maybe you can shoot stuff to high altitudes to be captured by some kind of skyhook system to save fuel and lessen energy requirements. Recycle the parachutes or whatever. I don't know how high a nuclear powered space platform could fly, like 50000 feet? so you shoot stuff up 60k and have it be captured by drones that bring it to the reel system.
you deliver material to be hoisted to the flying platform like mid-air refueling or ballistic midair skyhook recovery and then it gets mechanically transferred to the space platform. It would need to be far away enough to match the air platform speed, then the materials can be woven into the ring or whatever else you wanna build up there and moved around in zero gravity.
If you have a flying platform and transfer material through some kind of railgun that is drone captured you eliminate alot of flight hours, risk, maintenance, etc.
Then you can also possibly make solar panels in space made out of the carbon material (they have CNT solar panels right?) too. then you start to get some kind of dyson ring orbiting earth eventually that can adjust itself with ion thursters that use the tubes as fuel. It would be like a big yarn powered machine.
You can make all sorts of shit in orbit from pulled up CNT. Electronics, solar panels, structural stuff, fuel. You can even add small amounts of materials on it to be hoisted up there and carefully removed (i.e. required for semiconductor doping, etc).. if there is high flow you might be able to get a big of payload on the string itself. You would just need efficient machines to get it off.
I dunno if you can tie hot dogs to a string of carbon nanotubes to pull them into orbit but maybe vienna sausages?
If it really gets going you can put ion spray machines to put some coatings on them maybe? i dunno how tight the spec is with the tensile strength, I assume you can jury rig something if they considered making a ridiculous space elevator with this. I am not saying coat the thing but maybe introduce a few meters (no idea on the limits here) that have palladium spray or whatever you need on it.