Consortium on human reproduction in space shares first results of symposium series to develop research roadmap
A new global consortium is established to tackle one of the most profound questions in space exploration: can humans safely reproduce beyond Earth? The Space Reproduction Roadmap Consortium (SRRC), initiated by SpaceBorn United, is uniting scientists, technologists, ethicists, and policymakers to develop a globally- cooperative, long-term research roadmap for enabling human conception, pregnancy, and birth in space. The inaugural Space Reproduction Roadmap Symposium took place on the 26th and 28th of September 2025. It brought together leading experts in reproductive medicine, fertility research, space biology, space technology, bioethics, geopolitics and law.
Participating experts and organizations are invited to join the consortium and integrate existing space reproduction research and roadmap approaches. SRRC’s first symposium marked the launch of a series of symposia designed to shape a responsible global strategy for human reproduction in space. A crucial part of humanity’s ambition to realize independent human settlements beyond Earth.
Why reproduction in space matters
In a world marked by political turbulence, polarization, and climate decline, it is vital to hold on to hope and invest in uniting visions for the future. As humanity moves toward increased commercial presence in space, scientific lunar bases, and future missions to Mars, long- term settlement beyond Earth is becoming a concrete goal. Space research already delivers breakthroughs in agriculture, medicine, and technology with direct benefits on Earth, while the vast resources of space offer promising answers to scarcity and energy needs. Settlements beyond Earth also provide resilience against existential risks such as climate disruption or nuclear conflict.Within this context, the question of reproduction becomes unavoidable. Permanent settlements beyond Earth will only be possible if safe ways to conceive and raise children in space can be established. Yet despite decades of human spaceflight, no conception has occurred in orbit, and systematic research into this domain is still at an early stage.
Space poses formidable challenges to reproduction. The human reproductive physiology is not adapted to the unique environment of space, as it evolved under the Earth's environment. Even though we know that reduced gravity and higher ionizing radiation in space can drastically affect gametogenesis, fertilization, and embryo development, there is much we do not understand. Partial and microgravity disrupt basic physiological processes, radiation increases genetic risks, and environmental factors like stress, nutrition, and circadian rhythm shifts may influence fertility and pregnancy. While some astronaut health data exists, almost nothing is known about how these conditions affect reproductive organs, embryonic development, or childbirth. A recent study highlights these knowledge gaps. Addressing these gaps requires an unprecedented, coordinated interdisciplinary effort across scientific, medical, ethical, and regulatory domains.
“Without the ability to reproduce, humanity’s presence in space will always be temporary,” said Dr. Egbert Edelbroek (CEO of SpaceBorn United & Founder of SRRC) “ The symposium series initiates a collaborative and ethical framework needed to turn this bold vision into a research-driven reality.”
Space tourism risking uncontrolled conceptions
As cost are dropping and more commercial space enterprises are paving the way for space tourism, spacefaring is becoming more appealing for civilian space tourists. Upcoming space hotels may become magnets for couples to attempt making a space conceived baby. Space hotel initiators seem unaware of these implications or show no interest in mitigating these scenarios. As space hotels can be expected to become operational within 10 years this adds urgency to the exploration and mitigation of these scenarios.
Aims for long duration missions can result in similar challenges. To date, most human space missions have been conducted on station in LEO under strict professional conditions. However, this situation changes during deep space missions. The implications of human sexuality among space tourists and professional astronauts during long-term space missions have been discussed in a recent green paper, suggesting the possibility of both planned and unplanned pregnancies in space.
A roadmap for science and society
The roadmap seeks to not only serve long-term space ambitions but also contribute to medical breakthroughs on Earth. Research into reproductive resilience in extreme environments is expected to improve fertility treatments, IVF success rates, and maternal health worldwide. The symposium partners are currently finalizing a white paper outlining initial priorities and recommended milestones. This article will already highlight some of these initial results.
Symposium approach
During the first Space Reproduction Roadmap Symposium (Sept. 2025) experts gathered to discuss the development of the initial roadmap. Participants were assigned to breakout sessions categorized into Space Technology, Biomedical Sciences, Space Business & Geopolitics, Ethics & Law according to their expertise. The sessions started with the notion that given already existing efforts it seems reasonable to assume that challenges related to radiation and gravity will be mitigated sufficiently in a few decades. These assumptions are based on progress by various research groups developing shielding technology, biological interventions to enhance radiation resistance and preparations for new space stations that provide artificial rotational gravity (Van Loon et al., 2024).
Four experts delivered brief talks on space biology, space technology and e.g. hibernation as a potential tool for future human spaceflight, while the main focus of the symposium remained collaborative workshops. Each workshop group was asked to identify core challenges within their field, and start exploring possible technological and medical solutions with estimate realistic timelines for each of the drafted roadmap building blocks. The groups were also asked to envision timeframe for executing the intended complete research roadmap (enabling a nine-month gestation period beyond Earth). Groups with spare time were asked to also discuss budget estimates for roadmap execution. After the breakout sessions all groups gathered in a plenary session to share initial outcomes, interdisciplinary feedback and discuss next steps. Below highlights of the outcomes of the sessions are summarized section by section. A more elaborate overview will be presented in the whitepaper.
Initial symposium results
1. Ethics & Law
This session was led by Dr.Victor Cole, who teaches ethics and communication at the Singapore Institute of Technology. According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, ethics are defined as “moral principles that control or influence a person’s behaviour” and moral is defined as “moral connected with principles of right and wrong behaviour”. It is clear from the definition that there are no universally accepted moral values as they are shaped by cultural, social and cognitive factors. The participants highlighted the need to consider the global point of view for the endeavor of human reproduction in space. The discussion point outs a significant gap in regulatory statutes, and limitations were identified between government-sponsored and commercial space activities. It was proposed that practical steps should be taken to bridge the gap between commercial and governmental space agencies like NASA, ESA and JAXA by systematically comparing bioethical standards. The group raised its concern for devising a strategy to deal with the challenges of post-implantation of an embryo that was developed under space conditions. It was mutually agreed that the strategies to mitigate the harmful effects of space shall be developed to avoid the ethical concerns related to fetal development in space conditions. Given the delicate nature of the research, a stepwise approach was suggested to conduct experiments first on animal models such as rodents or bovines before moving to human embryos.
2. Biomedical science
As this domain covers a large part of the challenges and solutions the biomedical experts were divided in two groups. One biomedical session was led by Dr. Sheela Ali on the 1st day and by Ilaria Cinelli PhD on the 2nd day. Dr. Fernanda S. Pacheco led the other biomedical group. The groups discussed different scenarios of human reproduction in space. Natural conception was compared to assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in space. It was suggested that the natural conception could be a faster way to achieve a fully functional pregnancy in space compared to ART. However, this option is only feasible in the presence of infrastructure that can mitigate the altered gravity and high ionizing radiation. Given the complications of early embryo development followed by fertilization in space, the implantation of an embryo created on Earth was proposed in space. The obstetrics & gynecological concerns were expressed for space reproduction. Participants also discuss how human enhancement developments may facilitate human reproduction during deep space missions.
3. Space Technology
This session was led by Dr. David Cullen. He is a professor and mentor of astrobiology and space biotechnology at Cranfield University. The group explored the option of a fully automated platform to perform IVF research on the ground and in different space platforms. This clearly shows the need for interdisciplinary collaboration. Discussions also included the selection of volunteer individuals living in extreme environments (high altitude, extreme cold, prone to radiation exposure) to study their genetic potentials that can teach us about the chances of human reproduction in extreme environments. In this connection, the use of several space analogues should be utilized to understand its impact on human reproductive capabilities. Especially analog missions that provide the hallmark features of the space environment, namely, isolation, confinement, and extreme (ICE) environment. Furthermore, the urgency was acknowledged for a spacecraft that can simulate Earth-like gravity. This so-called rotating wheel spacecraft should also have a strong shielding capacity against cosmic radiation. The simulated environment of such a spacecraft can reduce the potential drastic effects on human physiology in general and human reproductive systems in particular.
4. Space Business & Geopolitics
This session was led by Henk Stapert,PhD a serial entrepreneur and inventor of medical devices. This group explored different funding approaches and IP protection strategies to enable both the development and the execution of the intended research roadmap. The geopolitical implications, threats and opportunities were not yet discussed. The session emphasizes pursuing a large private investment at a global level, especially for the execution of the roadmap. That involves the identification of small, medium, and large-scale global players who can provide the financial support for human reproduction in space and gain lucrative commercial incentives in the long run. It was proposed that this can be achieved through multinational consortia that foster private and public partnerships for broader philanthropic and humanitarian geopolitical aims. This should involve knowledge sharing, transparency in private and public sector agendas, opposition to the ‘raise to bottom’ practices, and support for the formation of an international framework for the commercialization of human reproduction in space at the global level. It was put forth that employment, social, and commercial media can be of great importance. By employing inspiring narratives, an impactful global message can be delivered to highlight the importance of research regarding human reproduction in space for the survival of our species in the universe.
Plenary session
On both days, after the breakout sessions all groups gathered in a plenary session to share initial outcomes. The estimated timelines for executing the complete roadmap varied from 5 to 60 years. Required budget estimated varied between $ 250 million and $ 5 billion. The space business group expected a much shorter timeline and lower budget then e.g. the Biomedical groups. During plenary evaluation this appeared also influenced by the trade off between innovation speed versus different perceptions of what could be acceptable risks. Development this roadmap only just started, so timelines and budgets are expected to narrow drastically as symposia progress and new developments and insights are integrated in follow up discussions.
About the symposia partners
The Space Reproduction Roadmap Consortium is developed to create a coordinated and ethically grounded approach to research human reproduction in space and integrate existing research and related roadmaps. The consortium aims to realize this goal through a series of international symposia, where subject matter experts from multiple fields contribute to a practical roadmap for the global research community. Symposia partners include:
· SpaceBorn United: pioneering IVF and embryo culture technologies in space. https://www.spacebornunited.com
· Cranfield University (Astrobiology and Space Biotechnology): extensive expertise in aerospace systems and biomedical research in space. https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/people/professor-david-cullen-806115
· UZ Gent (Reproductive Medicine Research Group): advancing and applying assisted reproductive technologies. https://www.ugent.be/ge/hsr/en/research/reproductive-medicine
· Progenesis: leading specialist in fertility innovation and reproductive medicine. https://progenesis.com
· SES (Space Exploration Strategies): advancing space commerce and sustainability. https://www.sestrategies.org
· EarthLight Foundation: promoting humanity’s expansion into space through cultural and scientific initiatives. https://earthlightfoundation.org
Participants of the first symposium
Jeffrey Alberts, Sheela Ali, Alires Almon, Nabil Arrach, Afshin Beheshti, Steve Behram, Valerie Bertele, Ilaria Cenelli, Rowena Christiansen, Victor Cole, David Cullen, Sanketh Dhumal, Egbert Edelbroek, Vanessa Farsadaki, Marta Ferraz, Cihan Halicigil, Varsha Jain, David Klein, Jarod Lopez, Seerat Maqsood, Rafael Elias Marques, Christopher Mason, Carolyn McGregor AM, Junaid Mian, Santiago Munné, Adeel Nasir, Eliah Overbey, Fernanda Pacheco, Denisa Protopopescu, Henk Stapert, Kelly Tilleman, Clémence Van Ginneken, Angelo Vermeulen, Ryan Michael Walsh, Nikica Zaninovic.