Florida family sues NASA after their home is hit by debris from space station

A Florida family are suing NASA after a piece of metal from the International Space Station smashed through their roof narrowly missing their adult son. 

The Otero family, from Naples, are seeking $80,000 in damages 'to account for the stress and impact' of the March 8 incident. 

It is the first case of its kind and will 'form the foundation' for similar claims in the future as damage from space debris has become a 'real and serious issue', according to law firm Cranfill Sumner. 

Daniel Otero was at home at the time and was nearly hit, the family's lawyers said: 'If the debris had hit a few feet in another direction, there could have been serious injury or a fatality.'

Investigators later discovered that the debris was a 1.6lbs piece of a cargo pallet that had been jettisoned from the Space Station in March 2021 and was expected to burn up completely on re-entry, but somehow survived. 

Homeowner Alejandro Otero said his son could have been hit by the debris

The Otero family, from Naples, are seeking $80,000 in damages 'to account for the stress and impact' of the March 8 incident after debris smashed through their roof

Homeowner Alejandro Otero was on vacation when he received a call from his son Daniel saying he had heard a 'tremendous sound' and there were gaping holes in the ceiling and floor.

Photos of the damage show where the piece of metal smashed through the roof and an internal floor before finally stopping in the basement of the property. 

The family said it was a 'near miss', according to their lawyers, and 'could have been catastrophic'. 

Speaking to local news at the time, Otero said: 'Something ripped through the house and then made a big hole on the floor and on the ceiling.

'When we heard that, we were like, impossible, and then immediately I thought a meteorite.

'What are the chances of something landing on my house with such force to cause so much damage?' 

Now they are claiming $80,000 damages for non-insured property damage loss, business interruption, emotional anguish, and the costs for assistance from third parties required in the process. 

The case will set a precedent for future space debris damage claims which lawyer Mica Nguyen Worthy said are set to rise.

'Space debris is a real and serious issue because of the increase in space traffic in recent years,' she said. 

She added that: 'This space debris claim is historical in that it involves a “real life example” of the consequences of space debris surviving to the Earth’s surface.' 

Space debris is disused equipment jettisoned from satellites and missions. 

There are thought to be more than 30,000 objects currently in orbit that could fall back to Earth within several years. 

Although most space junk burns up upon re-entry, a 2023 report by the Federal Aviation Authority warned that surviving debris could kill or injure someone every two years by 2035.

Investigators later discovered that the debris was a 1.6lbs piece of a cargo pallet that had been jettisoned from the Space Station in March 2021

There are more than 30,000 pieces of space junk in Earth's orbit

If the Oteros win their case, Worthy said: 'It would send a strong signal to both other governments and private industries that such victims should be compensated regardless of fault.'

After the incident, NASA collected the debris to inspect it. 

They discovered it was from a 'stanchion' used in the flight support equipment to mount batteries on a pallet at the Space Station.  

NASA had tossed the pallet in 2021, expecting it would stay in orbit for two to four years before reentering the Earth's atmosphere in a controlled manner. 

But the unguided re-entry caused it to have an off-course and unpredicted landing.