Vast Engineer Prepares for Research Flight Studying Menstruation in Space
Priya Abiram is an astronaut life-support-systems engineer at Vast and is preparing for a spaceflight no earlier than next year aboard Virgin Galactic. At 22, she expects to become the youngest research astronaut on a mission studying menstruation in microgravity for Operation Period. Abiram built experience through Cornell, Boeing, Blue Origin, Vast, and the Civil Air Patrol, where she created an aerospace program for students.
Priya Abiram, 22, works on astronaut life-support systems at Vast. She is preparing for a Virgin Galactic flight no earlier than next year. Her mission, Operation Period, will examine menstruation in microgravity; crewmate Manju Bangalore founded the nonprofit. Abiram anticipates becoming the youngest research astronaut.
Her interest began at age seven in KSC’s Rocket Garden. A model-rocketry win in eighth grade boosted her confidence. Through Civil Air Patrol, she launched an aerospace program that taught 150 students rocketry and robotics, leading to a Boeing internship. She later earned Cornell degrees in four years and interned at KSC, Blue Origin, and Vast.
This mission may broaden public understanding of how spaceflight affects female physiology, potentially informing future crew health planning. It could also encourage young people, especially girls, to pursue aerospace and life-support engineering by showing a 22-year-old in a visible research role. Space agencies, commercial operators, and future astronauts may benefit from clearer data on menstruation in microgravity, though the mission’s actual influence will depend on results and follow-up studies.