Kellie Gerardi made history in 2023 as the 90th woman to travel to space. While she soared above Earth as a payload specialist for a Virgin Galactic research flight, another story was unfolding in her life—one of heartbreak, healing, and hope. Beyond the space suit, Gerardi has been candid about her struggles with infertility, sharing her journey openly with more than 2 million followers on social media.
A widely shared video shows her floating in microgravity, smiling and waving through the spacecraft window to her daughter, Delta, watching from Earth.
“Hi, Delta,” Gerardi says in the clip.
Delta was born after a long struggle with infertility. For Gerardi, she was the miracle that followed a painful path. Since then, Gerardi has experienced multiple miscarriages.
“I’ve been pregnant five times, but only have Delta,” she explained. “It’s been a rough journey.”
She faces what doctors call secondary infertility—the inability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term after previously having a child. After years of trying and extensive research, Gerardi and her husband turned to in vitro fertilization (IVF), a medical process where eggs are retrieved from the ovaries and fertilized in a lab.
She chose to document every step of the IVF process, hoping her openness would support others facing similar struggles.
“There were so many highs and lows,” she said. “It was my first time going through egg retrieval, and I don’t think I was emotionally prepared for it.”
From her first IVF cycle, only one viable embryo was created. That embryo led to a pregnancy, and though she knew the risks, Gerardi allowed herself to celebrate the early stages. But in February, just before her 36th birthday, she received devastating news.
At what was supposed to be her final ultrasound before “graduating” from her IVF clinic, doctors couldn’t detect a heartbeat.
“I was just shattered,” she said.
Despite the loss, Gerardi remains determined. After taking time to heal, she decided to continue. She grew up as an only child and has always dreamed of giving Delta a sibling. Delta Victoria’s name is a tribute to both her family’s passion for science and Gerardi’s own love of space—“Delta V” is a term in rocket science referring to a change in velocity.
“She represented a major change in our lives,” Gerardi said. “A beautiful new chapter we had been waiting for.”
That sense of change and hope now lives in three white roses sitting on her kitchen counter. Each one symbolizes a viable embryo from her most recent IVF cycle.
“Nothing is guaranteed in IVF,” she said. “There’s always a chance the same thing could happen again. It would be devastating. But I understand the risks, and I’m choosing to live with hope, joy, and optimism.”
As she continues her fertility journey, Gerardi is also preparing for her next big mission. She is scheduled to return to space in 2026. The embryos will be frozen until she is ready for another transfer.
For now, she balances life between Earth and sky—with a heart full of science, sorrow, and unshakable hope.
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