A family from Naples, Floridahas submitted a request for compensation of $80,000 – about 74,000 euros– to NASA after metal scrap from the International Space Station (EEI) fell on his houseat the beginning of this year.
The metallic object, identified by NASA as part of a cargo platform released from ISS in 2021caused significant damage to property and businesses of the family, as well as emotional and mental distressaccording to the magazine Forbes in a report.
The NASA collected and analyzed the metal cylinder that hit the house of the family. Initially, It was believed that it would burn upon re-entryra the Earth’s atmosphere, but its landing caused significant damage.
McGill University associate professor Andrea Harrington explained to Forbes That this case is governed by US national law because it is “an issue between the US” – NASA is a state agency – and the affected party, which is an American family.
What the law says about US responsibility for ‘NASA garbage’
According to international treaties, the US is responsible for paying the government of another country if the scrap metal had landed there. Furthermore, the American private companies are also required to compensate the damage caused by their actions in space.
“The best for NASA […] is to provide reasonable payment without the need for a lawsuit. And I think they will.”
Andrea Harrington, associate professor at McGill University
Thus, the family seeks justice and compensation for the damages suffered due to the space junk, while the NASA and international laws will determine liability and payment correspondent. “The best thing for NASA, both financially and in terms of public perception, is to provide a reasonable payment without the need for a lawsuit,” Harrington says, adding, “and I think they will.”
