Experiment and analysis of a space tether with pendulum-type elastic metamaterials

•Scaled model of a space tether with pendulum-type elastic metamaterials is designed.•A ground experiment that can excite the scaled model is proposed.•It is found that the bandgap is attributed to the resonance of the beams.•The correlation between the natural frequency of the beam and the bandgap is provided.•The deformation shapes of the metamaterial in the bandgap are measured.