On Friday, a law firm announced that an American family is seeking over $80,000 in compensation from NASA after debris from space crashed through the roof of their Florida home. The incident occurred on March 8 when a 700-gram object struck Alejandro Otero’s home in Naples, Florida, causing damage to the roof.
NASA later confirmed that the object was part of a cargo pallet of used batteries released from the International Space Station as waste in 2021. Instead of completely disintegrating upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, a section of the object remained intact before hitting Otero’s home. The issue of space debris has become more prevalent due to increased space traffic, and how NASA responds to this claim could set a precedent for future incidents.
According to the law firm, Otero’s son was present at the house when the debris crashed through the roof. They stated that NASA has a six-month period to respond to the claim for compensation. The family’s lawyer, Mica Nguyen Worthy, emphasized that while no one was physically harmed in the incident, it could have had catastrophic consequences.
Worthy said: “My clients are seeking adequate compensation to address the stress and impact that this event had on their lives.” As of now, NASA has not issued a comment in response to the claim.