Startup's Idea Of Sending Pregnant Woman To Give Birth In Space

Childbirth is already a stressful experience for many women. But for one mother-to-be, it will be even more of a challenge as she’ll be delivering her baby in space. Well, at least that’s the plan of SpaceLife Origin.

Back in October, the startup based in Netherland made an announcement on the new Missions Program 2020-2024 culminating with a human baby’s live birth onboard a spacecraft located 250 miles from Earth.

According to an executive of the company, the mission’s success could undoubtedly influence our plans for the colonization of other planets in space.

On Wednesday, The Atlantic released a publishment about SpaceLife Origin. In the publishment, Egbert Edelbroek, the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer of the company claims that mankind needs to understand how reproduction works outside of Earth if we hope to ever colonize other planets.

Edelbroek said:

Over the span of five years, a series of missions will be completed to fill this gap of knowledge to prepare mankind for outside of Earth reproduction. As stated in a press release, one of the tasks is to send human reproduction cells into space as a kind of “insurance” in the event of catastrophes happening on Earth.

Moreover, the company is also going to develop a “Space-Embryo-Incubator” which will assist the fertilization and development of embryos in space.

The final step of the mission is to send a pregnant volunteer along with a group of medical experts to space on a mission that is going to last for 24 to 36 hours. And the woman will give birth during this mission.

However, this plan seems like a nightmare. Just imagine doctors trying to inject an epidural in a spacecraft with zero gravity while drops of body fluids floating around.

It’s also quite understandable if SpaceLife Origin will have to face numerous regulatory barriers as well as an ethical backlash by people who are worried about the mother and the child’s safety.

Still, Edelbroek has a point arguing that we need to figure out the idea of reproduction in space if we want to colonize other planets in space. With one single volunteer, the process could begin in 2024.