In a recent incident, a piece of space debris belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States fell to Earth and struck a residential building in Florida, causing damage to the roof. The homeowner of the affected residence has filed a lawsuit against NASA, seeking $80,000 in compensation.
On March 8th, a cylindrical object weighing 700 grams hit the residence of Alejandro Otero in Naples, Florida, resulting in a large hole in the roof. Fortunately, Otero’s son was at home at the time, and no injuries were reported.
NASA later confirmed that the object weighed 1.6 pounds (0.7 kilograms), was 4 inches tall (10 centimeters), and had a diameter of 1.6 inches (4 centimeters). It was part of a battery tray discarded by the International Space Station in 2021.
According to a press release issued by NASA in April, the robotic arm of the International Space Station disposed of 5,800 pounds (2,630 kilograms) of decommissioned equipment into space in March 2021. While most of this space debris was expected to burn up completely upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere on March 8, 2024, one object, the cylindrical one that hit Otero’s home, did not burn up.
In a press release issued by the law firm representing Otero on June 21, it was mentioned that the issue of space debris is becoming increasingly severe due to the rise in space travel. The response of NASA to this incident may set a precedent for how future claims for space debris damage are handled.
Otero has requested compensation of $80,000 from NASA, with the agency having six months to respond. Otero’s lawyer, Mica Nguyen Worthy, stated, “My client is seeking adequate compensation to offset the stress and impact this incident has had on their lives.”
Worthy emphasized that if a similar incident occurred overseas with space debris causing harm to another individual in a different country, the United States would be liable for compensation under the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects.
Worthy urged NASA to not apply different standards to U.S. citizens or residents and to take care of the Otero family by compensating them for their losses.
However, legal expert Mark Sundahl previously told National Public Radio (NPR) that when objects belonging to NASA fall on U.S. territory, the application of this international agreement becomes less clear, making such cases a matter of domestic law.