First Childbirth In Space Could Happen In 12 Years, Expert Claims

A research firm is currently planning missions focused on providing pregnant women with the opportunity to give birth in space. According to the company’s founder, the first childbirth in space could happen within just 12 years.

Dr. Egbert Edelbroek is the chief executive and founder of SpaceBorn United, a company that is focused on researching conditions related to human reproduction in space. According to Edelbroek, the company aims to launch missions that will specifically cater to carrying out childbirth procedures in space by 2031. Like other space missions, SpaceBorn United’s launches will also depend on weather conditions.

“This is only possible, for now, in Lower Earth Orbit, and it is only possible thanks to a very thorough selection procedure,” Edelbroek said during the first Space and Science Congress held by the space micronation Asgardia, according to Metro.

“You can induce the labor process like they do in IVF clinics on a daily basis,” he continued. “Planning is, of course, an issue – it is hard to plan a natural process like this if there is something wrong with the weather, or a delay with the launch.”

Edelbroek noted that once the missions are already in full operation, they will be able to accommodate up to 30 participants per trip. Depending on how long the labor of the patients will be, the duration for each mission could last for 24 to 36 hours.

“We could never work with just one pregnant woman. We would have maybe 30 participants and they could step out at any moment,” he said. “But the experts that we work with, they believe, and I believe, that this is possible at a lower risk level than an average Western-style delivery on Earth.”

Of course, like other missions outside Earth, giving birth in space also comes with its own set of risks. For one, due to the lack of gravity, mothers may have a more difficult time pushing their babies out if they opt to give birth in space. Hopefully, SpaceBorn United has already considered all of the possible risks involved in space childbirths to ensure the safety of the patients and their babies.