Do Astronauts Need Covid 19 Vaccinations In Space?

Having fully vaccinated crew members on board during spaceflight, where individuals are confined to small quarters and come from different regions of the world, will simplify protocols for launching and recovering the astronauts. This is particularly important as studies indicate that immune response may undergo temporary changes during space travel.

After returning from space, the Crew-1 team had to wait for a brief period before receiving their vaccination, as mentioned by NASA astronaut Victor Glover on Twitter. He explained that they needed to allow their immune systems to adjust before getting vaccinated.

Why did Crew-1 have to wait for a vaccination?

NASA closely monitors the health of astronauts in space, including their immune response, and implements strict exercise, sleep, and nutrition protocols to keep them healthy. However, studies have shown that abnormalities can occur in immune cells in ISS crewmembers' blood during flight, and the immune response may temporarily change during spaceflight. Therefore, having fully vaccinated crew members on board can make protocols much easier for everyone involved in launching and recovering astronauts. The ongoing Functional Immune experiment led by NASA's Johnson Space Center analyzes blood and saliva samples to determine the changes taking place in crew members' immune systems during flight and aims to better protect astronauts on forthcoming Artemis missions to the moon and, in the more distant future, to Mars.

NASA Covid 19 Vaccination Policy

ESA Covid 19 Vaccination Policy

The European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) told NRC that it is not forcing its employees to get vaccinated as they can also choose to get tested instead. And tests are done at the organization's expense, not the employees'. Director Franco Ongaro also told NRC that "the Dutch rules regarding health and safety do not apply."