Irish Independent

Nasa sued by family whose house was struck by space junk

A Florida family is suing Nasa after their house was damaged by debris that fell from the Internatio­nal Space Station (ISS).

In March, a mystery object weighing about 700g crashed into a home in Naples, Florida.

The object ripped through the house’s ceiling and tore up its flooring while the son of the homeowner, Alejandro Otero, was living there.

Nasa later confirmed that the strange object was from a metal support to a pallet packed with over two tonnes of batteries, released from the ISS in 2021.

The space agency planned to release batteries from the ISS after installing new lithium-ion batteries as part of an upgrade.

However, instead of fully burning up on entering the atmosphere, part of the old installati­on had remained intact, the space agency said.

Now the American family is claiming $80,000 (€74,000) from Nasa for the damages caused.

“The damages for the Otero family members include noninsured property damage loss, business interrupti­on damages, emotional/mental anguish damages, and the costs for assistance from third parties required in the process,” according to the legal papers filed by law firm Cranfill Sumner, which said Nasa has six months to respond to the claim.

The problems posed by space junk to people on Earth have increased in recent years with the rise in space traffic.

Scientists have previously warned that as the density of space debris in low Earth orbit increases, it could lead to a cascade of catastroph­ic collisions that could cause damage both in orbit and on the planet’s surface.

“My clients are seeking adequate compensati­on to account for the stress and impact that this event had on their lives,” lawyer Mica Nguyen Worthy said.

“They are grateful that no one sustained physical injuries from this incident, but a ‘near-miss’ situation such as this could have been catastroph­ic.

“If the debris had hit a few feet in another direction, there could have been serious injury or a fatality.”

The law firm hopes the case will set a precedent for the future of space debris claims in both the public and private sectors.

“If Nasa were to take the position that the Oteros’s 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,” Ms Worthy said. (© The Independen­t)