Florida Family Sues NASA After Space Debris Strikes Home

Facts

• A Florida family is suing NASA after tests confirmed that a piece of debris from the International Space Station (ISS) reportedly struck their home in Naples this March.¹
• Alejandro Otero and his family are seeking $80K in damages after a 1.6-pound cylinder from a cargo pallet released by ISS in 2021 nearly struck Otero's son.²
• The Otero's law firm says that the family is suing NASA for 'non-insured Property Damage loss, Business Interruption damages, Emotional/Mental anguish damages, and the costs for assistance from third parties.'³
• While there were no physical injuries, the family's representatives say the event was a 'near miss' that was mere feet away from causing a 'serious injury or a fatality.' NASA has six months to respond to the claim.⁴
• International law holds the 'launching state' of a spacecraft liable for damages incurred in a foreign country. This case may establish NASA's legal obligations for domestic damages under the Federal Torts Claim Act.⁴
• Space debris proliferation is a 'real and serious issue,' the family's lawyer says. In April, NASA said it was committed to 'mitigating as much risk as possible' in ejecting objects in space.⁵

Sources: ¹CBS, ²Guardian, ³Independent, ⁴Washington Post and ⁵NPR Online News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Forbes. Original laws and treaties governing outer space were only fit for the early days of space exploration. Clearly, that legal regime needs a change. Scientists estimate that the risk of fatalities from space debris is very real, and governments need to be proactive about this. A system for damages from space debris, domestically and internationally, needs to be established with due haste.
• Narrative B, as provided by CNN. Lawyers have no chance of solving a sustainability and engineering issue, and innovation could ultimately be the key to a safer and cleaner near-Earth environment. There are simply too many actors in space to allow everyone to eject their garbage back toward Earth. The next frontier in aeronautics is reusable and durable space equipment. We cannot litigate the space junk issue.

Predictions