People with diabetes have historically been excluded from pursuing a career as an astronaut with the European Space Agency (ESA) or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the US due to the risk of hypo or hyperglycaemia, difficulty storing insulin and safety concerns for other crew members if a medical emergency were to occur.

While both bodies have reviewed their rigid exclusion rules for people with long-term conditions like diabetes, it still remains a disqualifying condition for pursuing a career as an astronaut.

Recently, however, Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to reach the International Space Station and conduct 60 different research activities, one of which is focused on diabetes management.

The aim of the research, known as ‘The Suite Ride’, is to test the behaviour of insulin and continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGM) in microgravity and with disruption in sleep schedules.

It is an important step in enabling astronauts with diabetes to go to space. It will also lay the groundwork for managing diabetes in isolated locations such as oil rigs, deserts or rural regions. 

“This effort marks a significant milestone in the long-term goal of supporting future astronauts with insulin-dependent diabetes, a condition historically deemed disqualifying for spaceflight,” Axiom Space said in a statement.

The project aims to explore remote care provision for people with diabetes to improve management for those from underserved communities and difficult-to-reach areas across the world.

 According to Axiom, if successful, it will next embark on a mission to allow those with non-insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes to become astronauts and travel to space.