Alejandro Otero and his family from Florida‘s Naples, have filed a lawsuit against Nasa, seeking $80,000 in compensation for damages caused by a piece of space junk that crashed into their home on March 8. The incident occurred while Otero was on vacation, and his son informed him about the crashing object.
The cylindrical metal object, weighing 1.6lb and measuring 4in by 1.6in, tore through the Otero family’s house, causing significant damage.Otero expressed his disbelief and gratitude that no one was injured in the incident, saying, “I was shaking. I was completely in disbelief. What are the chances of something landing on my house with such force to cause so much damage,” and “I’m super grateful that nobody got hurt.”
Nasa later confirmed that the object was a metal support used to mount old batteries on a cargo pallet for disposal, which was jettisoned from the space station in 2021. Although the load was expected to burn up entirely upon entering Earth’s atmosphere, one piece survived and landed on the Otero family’s property.
The family, represented by the law firm Cranfill Sumner, is seeking compensation for non-insured property, business interruption, emotional and mental anguish, and the cost of assistance from third-party agencies. Attorney Mica Nguyen Worthy emphasised the seriousness of the space debris issue, saying, “My clients are seeking adequate compensation to account for the stress and impact that this event had on their lives,” and “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.”
Worthy also highlighted that this case aims to set a precedent for space debris claims in both private and public sectors. Nasa has been given a six-month period to respond to the claims filed by the Otero family.
The cylindrical metal object, weighing 1.6lb and measuring 4in by 1.6in, tore through the Otero family’s house, causing significant damage.Otero expressed his disbelief and gratitude that no one was injured in the incident, saying, “I was shaking. I was completely in disbelief. What are the chances of something landing on my house with such force to cause so much damage,” and “I’m super grateful that nobody got hurt.”
Nasa later confirmed that the object was a metal support used to mount old batteries on a cargo pallet for disposal, which was jettisoned from the space station in 2021. Although the load was expected to burn up entirely upon entering Earth’s atmosphere, one piece survived and landed on the Otero family’s property.
The family, represented by the law firm Cranfill Sumner, is seeking compensation for non-insured property, business interruption, emotional and mental anguish, and the cost of assistance from third-party agencies. Attorney Mica Nguyen Worthy emphasised the seriousness of the space debris issue, saying, “My clients are seeking adequate compensation to account for the stress and impact that this event had on their lives,” and “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.”
Worthy also highlighted that this case aims to set a precedent for space debris claims in both private and public sectors. Nasa has been given a six-month period to respond to the claims filed by the Otero family.
