London - Babies may be being born in space within the next 12 years, say scientists.
Dr Egbert Edelbroek, founder of SpaceBorn United, said his company is designing missions during which women can give birth in orbit.
It is aiming for 24 to 36-hour trips during which labour could take place, Dr Edelbroek told a space science summit in Germany this week.
"It is only possible thanks to a very thorough selection procedure," he said. Mothers would have to have had two flawless deliveries before taking part.
"This is only possible, for now, in Lower Earth Orbit (LEO), and it is only possible thanks to a very thorough selection procedure," he said.
Asked about the 12-year estimate, Dr Edelbroek told the Asgardia Space Science and Investment Congress in Germany that timing would depend on progress in space tourism. Asgardia is a group planning for life outside Earth.
Dr Edelbroek said: "You can induce the labour process like they do in IVF clinics on a daily basis.
"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.
"We could never work with just one pregnant woman.
"We would have maybe 30 participants and they could step out at any moment.
"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," Edelbroek concluded.