SpaceX’s Starship Thursday night launch was brief — contact was lost minutes after it roared into the sky and exploded.
Floridians across the coast witnessed flaming space debris falling from the sky.
So, what would happen if a piece of a rocket, or a satellite, or even an asteroid hit your home or car?
It is rare, but it has happened — an object fell from the sky and pierced a Florida man’s roof last spring. To add on, last month, a large chunk of ice also fell from the sky and damaged a Palm Coast home.
Does insurance cover this?
Mark Jenkins, a spokesperson for AAA, told News 6 the first thing you need to do if space debris damages your home, or car is to take photos.
“Then contact your insurance provider as soon as possible, and then begin the process of filing a claim. You probably should also contact law enforcement, chances are they would like to collect this debris, so they can use that as evidence to determine what may have happened,” Jenkins said.
To add on, Jenkins said comprehensive coverage insurance would cover if your car got damaged by space junk. However, not everyone may have this as this level of coverage is not required by law, he said.
“Comprehensive insurance essentially steps in when damage to your vehicle is caused by circumstances beyond your control or not directly related to traffic accidents,” as stated on AAA’s website.
He also said most home insurance policies would cover an incident like this, but he did suggest homeowners double check their coverage.
“This is something that would likely qualify under your homeowner’s insurance policy. Of course, depending on the insurance provider, there could be some exclusions. So, you’d want to check your policy to ensure you have coverage,” Jenkins said.