The Fertility of Space: Exploring the Possibility of Human Reproduction Beyond Earth

Saturday - October 21 2023, 18:41 UTC - 1 year ago

Egbert Edelbroek founded biotech startup SpaceBorn United with the goal of understanding the effects of space on human reproduction. The startup developed a mini lab to explore in-vitro fertilization beyond Earth and test the possibility of space settlements in the distant future. Studies on animals have suggested that our reproductive processes may be affected by potentials of lower gravity, higher radiation exposure and other conditions in space.

Egbert Edelbroek was acting as a sperm donor when he first wondered whether it’s possible to have babies in space. Curious about the various ways that donated sperm can be used, Edelbroek, a Dutch entrepreneur, began to speculate on whether in vitro fertilization technology was possible beyond Earth—or could even be improved by the conditions found there. Could the weightlessness of space be better than a flat laboratory petri dish? Now Edelbroek is CEO of SpaceBorn United, a biotech startup seeking to pioneer the study of human reproduction away from Earth .

Next year, he plans to send a mini lab on a rocket into low Earth orbit, where in vitro fertilization, or IVF, will take place. If it succeeds, Edelbroek hopes his work could pave the way for future space settlements. "Humanity needs a backup plan," he says. "If you want to be a sustainable species, you want to be a multiplanetary species." Beyond future space colonies, there is also a more pressing need to understand the effects of space on the human reproductive system .

No one has ever become pregnant in space—yet. But with the rise of space tourism, it’s likely that it will eventually happen one day. Edelbroek thinks we should be prepared. Despite the burgeoning interest in deep space exploration and settlement, prompted in part by billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, we still know very little about what happens to our reproductive biology when we’re in orbit .

A report released in September by the US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine points out that almost no research has been done on human reproduction in space, adding that our understanding of how space affects reproduction is "vital to long-term space exploration, but largely unexplored to date." Some studies on animals have suggested that the various stages of reproduction—from mating and fertilization to embryo development, implantation, pregnancy, and birth—can function normally in space .

For example, in the very first such experiment, eight Japanese medaka fish developed from egg to hatchling aboard the space shuttle Columbia in 1994. All eight survived the return to Earth and seemed to behave normally. Yet other studies have found evidence that points to potential problems. Pregnant rats that spent much of their third trimester—a total of five days—on a Soviet satellite in 1983 experienced complications during labor and delivery .

Like all astronauts returning to Earth, the rats were exhausted and weak. Their deliveries lasted longer than usual, likely because of atrophied uterine muscles. All the pups in one of the litters died during delivery, the result of an obstruction thought to be due in part to the mother’s weakened state.To Edelbroek, these inconclusive results point to a need to systematically isolate each step in the reproductive process in order to better understand how it is affected by conditions like lower gravity and higher radiation exposure .

The mini lab his company developed is designed to do exactly that. It is about the size of a shoebox and uses microfluidics to connect a chamber containing sperm to a chamber cordoning off an egg. Space exploration and human settlements have been an almost impossible dream since the ancient times. Now, with the arrival of satellites, rockets and other advanced technological advancement, the idea of humans living in space becomes more and more realistic .

Egbert Edelbroek has been at the forefront of researching human reproduction in space since his days as a sperm donor. SpaceBorn United, the biotech startup he founded, aims to send a mini lab higher up into low Earth's orbit to explore the possibilities of in-vitro fertilization and hopefully, this could provide further insights into the potential effects of space on our human reproductive biology .

Today, no human has ever become pregnant in space - yet. But with Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos spearheading research on space exploration, we may need to start preparing for this eventuality. With potentials of lower gravity and higher radiation exposure in space, many studies conducted on animals have suggested that our reproductive processes may be affected. The Japanese medaka fish experiment in 1994 provided the first insight into the potential of human reproduction in space and eight of the fish survived both the journey to and from space .

Similarly, the test conducted on pregnant rats in 1983 concluded incompletely, with the lab animals weakened when they reached back to Earth, pointing to the possibility of our reproductive biology being impaired due to conditions in space. It is with these challenges in the back of his mind that Edelbroek and his team seek to isolate each step of the reproduction process in order to better understand how they might be impacted by the environment in space .

The mini lab developed at SpaceBorn United is the size of a shoe box and uses microfluidics to connect a chamber containing sperm to a chamber containing the egg, creating the first steps in the journey of mankind living outside of Earth's atmosphere. We have come a long way in our progress to outer space exploration and human settlements, and much of this development is thanks to leaders such as Edelbroek, and innovators such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos .

Although we are still in the early stages, the possibilities that this research may offer could be groundbreaking and monumental for deep space exploration, and should be pursued with vigour and enthusiasm.