The growing problem of space debris isn’t just an issue confined to Earth’s orbit. Recent headlines have highlighted several instances of space trash crashing back down to Earth, and one family is demanding that NASA pay for the damages caused by a falling piece of space junk.
The space agency is facing a claim after a chunk of debris crashed through Alejandro Otero’s seaside home in Naples, Florida. The incident occurred on March 8, when the debris tore through the roof and two floors of his family home, nearly hitting his son, Otero said in a now-deleted social media post.
NASA has since confirmed the debris came from a jettisoned structure from the International Space Station in March 2021. This structure was expected to burn up completely in Earth’s atmosphere. Otero speculated this in the aftermath of the incident and expressed his expectation that those responsible be held accountable.
“The Otero family is grateful that no one sustained physical injuries from this incident, but a ‘near miss’ situation such as this could have been catastrophic,” stated a letter from the law firm representing the family. In the letter, the firm points out that, under the Outer Space Treaty, NASA would be liable had the debris caused damage in another country, and argues that this policy should apply within the United States as well. “We have asked NASA not to apply a different standard towards U.S. citizens or residents, but instead to take care of the Oteros and make them whole,” the letter stated.
This incident has the potential to set a precedent for governments and private space companies in terms of how compensation could be handled for victims of similar incidents in the future. Though their damage was less severe than that caused at the Otero home, several other reports of crashing space debris have occurred in the past year as well. These include portions of a SpaceX Dragon trunk and rocket parts, and a piece of an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) rocket landing on a farmer’s field.
“Here, the U.S. government, through NASA, has an opportunity to set the standard or ‘set a precedent’ as to what responsible, safe, and sustainable space operations ought to look like. If NASA were to take the position that the Oteros’ claims should be paid in full, it would send a strong signal to both other governments and private industries that such victims should be compensated regardless of fault,” the law firm argued.
