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Homeowner demands compensation from NASA

13.7.2024

Translation: machine translated

In March 2024, an object from the ISS smashed through the roof of a house. Now the owner is demanding compensation. But the case is sensitive - and may have a signalling effect.

A homeowner from Florida is demanding more than 80,000 US dollars (around 75,000 euros) in compensation from NASA after a piece of space debris smashed through his house - and narrowly missed his son. On 8 March 2024, a fastening post weighing around two kilograms hit the roof of Alejandro Otero's house in Naples. It is the first legal claim for damages in connection with space debris, said Mica Nguyen Worthy, a lawyer for the family, to the magazine "Ars Technica". The aim of the claim is also to set a precedent for possible future victims of space debris, Worthy explained further.

The roughly ten-centimetre-long piece of metal came from a pallet that was supposed to burn up completely in the atmosphere along with a discarded battery pack from the International Space Station (ISS). NASA is currently investigating why the bolt survived re-entry. The crucial point, however, is that NASA was responsible for the battery pack. However, the 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects only covers damage caused by space agencies of other states. It also provides for the US government to conduct intergovernmental negotiations in such a case. It is therefore not applicable to the present case.

Otero is therefore using a civil law route to assert claims against the government agency. So far, the family has only demanded compensation and has not filed a formal complaint. The latter could happen if NASA rejects the claim. Although the specific case only relates to the USA, it has far-reaching significance for the space industry. As the number of rocket launches and satellites increases, more and more fragments fall to earth unplanned. Until now, it has been complicated to identify a piece as space debris and to assert claims, says lawyer Worthy, explaining the approach. Compensation should be more easily accessible, especially before there is a serious incident in which someone is seriously injured or even killed. "Whatever NASA does now sends a strong signal to the entire space industry," says the lawyer.

Spectrum of Science

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Original article on Spektrum.de

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