As of: March 7, 2024, 9:00 p.m
By: Sandra Sporer
Comments
Press
Split
In the coming days there is a risk that space debris will crash in Germany.
What happens in the event of damage is clearly regulated.
© Jan Eifert/IMAGO
Space debris from the ISS will soon enter the Earth's atmosphere via Germany.
You do not have to pay for any resulting damage yourself.
Munich - On March 8th and 9th, there is a risk that debris from a former part of the ISS will fall over Germany.
The “re-entry of a larger space object into the Earth's atmosphere is expected, which may fragment,” says a report from the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief.
However, the risk of pieces of space debris falling in the Federal Republic of Germany is currently classified as low.
And even if that happens and the debris damages your belongings, there is no need to worry.
Who is responsible for the damage in this case is clearly regulated in the United Nations Outer Space Treaty.
Space debris from the ISS could hit Germany – who is liable for property damage?
The contract passed in 1967 also includes a liability agreement, as the broadcaster
n-tv
informs.
This stipulates that the country that owns the space debris must pay for any damage caused in the event of a crash.
This was also confirmed by Dr.
Holger Krag, space debris expert at ESA in an interview with
Bild
:
“If damage occurs on Earth, the so-called starting state is always liable, i.e. the country that launched a satellite into space.”
The currently expected space debris is old battery packs from the International Space Station (ISS).
It is planned that these will now re-enter the earth's atmosphere and if everything goes well, most of them will burn up in the earth's atmosphere.
In most cases, insurance is liable for damage caused by non-man-made space debris
However, the situation is different if the damage to the property was not caused by man-made space debris, but rather by a meteorite.
Last year, for example, a meteorite hit the front yard of a family in Germany.
In this case, different insurance coverage applies depending on what was damaged:
Damage to the house will only be covered by residential building and contents insurance if the impact causes a fire
Damage to the car: fully comprehensive insurance
Personal injury: accident insurance
The trajectory of the old batteries can be tracked on the website satview.org.
Among other things, parts of Hesse are probably in the endangered corridor.
(
sp
)