In 2021, the International Space Station’s robotic arm released a tray filled with batteries.
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A Florida family is suing NASA after a piece of metal space debris belonging to the agency fell to Earth earlier this year, blowing up their Naples home and leaving a hole in the roof.
The March incident was a rare case of man-made material returning intact from orbit to Earth’s surface and landing in a populated area, raising the question of who is responsible when space debris causes damage to Earth.
“Due to the increase in space traffic in recent years, space debris is a real and serious problem,” the family’s attorney, Mica Nguyen Worthy, said in a statement. “My clients are seeking adequate compensation to compensate for the stress and impact this incident has had on their lives.”
Worthy noted that the homeowner’s 19-year-old son, Alejandro Otero, was inside the home at the time of the incident but was only a few rooms away from the impact and was not injured. “They are thankful no one was injured in the incident, but a ‘near miss’ situation like this could have been catastrophic.”
The claim filed with NASA last month seeks compensation for non-insured property damage, emotional and mental anguish and other damages.
NASA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The agency said in a blog post in April that a “space object” recovered from Ortros’ home was involved in an operation aboard the International Space Station in March 2021.
At the time, NASA released a 5,800-pound pallet of old nickel-metal hydride batteries that were expected to orbit Earth for two to four years before burning up in the atmosphere.
But the agency said it believes the material that landed in Florida was a 1.6-pound metal alloy strut from a “NASA Flight Support Equipment.”
“NASA remains committed to operating responsibly in low-Earth orbit and minimizing risks when space hardware must be released to protect people on Earth,” the agency said in April.
Worthy said that under the International Agreement on Liability in Space, NASA will be held responsible for damage caused by its space debris in any other country.
But space law expert Mark Sundahl told NPR in April that the law is less clear when material belonging to NASA lands on U.S. soil, making it a domestic legal issue .
