Two menstrual cups were launched into space to test their durability and structural integrity under extreme conditions – and the results are good news for female astronauts
Until now, female astronauts have had to depend on hormonal contraception to suppress their periods while on space missions. However, a recent project has explored a potential alternative – menstrual cups. In a first-of-its-kind mission, two menstrual cups were sent into space to see how they would hold up under space conditions.As part of the AstroCup project, the cups were sent into orbit via a suborbital rocket to test their performance in spaceflight conditions. The goal was to evaluate their structural integrity and leak-proof capabilities in the extreme environment. The two orange units were tucked inside a metal box on board the Baltasar rocket, which was launched by the Rocket Experiment Division (RED) at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal.
The rocket reached an altitude of 3 km and briefly experienced microgravity – weightlessness – before returning to Earth and landing safely with a parachute. During the nine-minute flight, crucial environmental factors such as air pressure, temperature, humidity, and linear acceleration were monitored to assess the stress experienced by the cups.
The results proved successful with no leakage, breakage, or changes in the Lunette menstrual cups, and no contamination.
The flight took place in October 2022, but the full results have only just been released.
Aleksandra Oklinska, co-owner of Lunette, stated: “As space travel expands and more women join missions across national and commercial programs, it’s more important now than ever to have these conversations.
“From historic all-female spacewalks to the recent Ax-4 mission led by Peggy Whitson, the astronaut with the most cumulative time spent in space, the need to address menstrual care in orbit is more urgent than ever. Every astronaut deserves access to safe, effective, and sustainable period care.”
In the future, astronauts may be spending over a year or even decades on missions to the Moon and Mars, and may choose to suppress their period for comfort. However, prolonged hormone suppression over such extended periods of time raises concerns about complex health implications.
Concerns have already been voiced about hormonal contraception and how it performs under microgravity. Increased risks of blood clots and reduced bone density in crew members using combined hormonal suppression drugs have also been documented.
Dr. Ligia F. Coelho, the science principal investigator of the experiment, said: “From an early stage of my career, I began to understand the core issue: it’s not necessarily about the cups themselves, but rather that these kinds of conversations and tests haven’t really taken place yet.
“There seems to be an assumption that the current systems are working well. AstroCup is the first step in the study of the endurance and feasibility of using menstrual devices in space, and this experiment proves that Lunette’s menstrual cups withstand the launch environment.”