培训课程
NASA says metals fraud caused $700 million satellite failure
A metals manufacturer faked test results and provided faulty materials to NASA, causing more than $700 million in losses and two failed satellite launch missions, according to an investigation by the U.S. space agency.
The fraud involved an Oregon company called Sapa Profiles Inc., which falsified thousands of certifications for aluminum parts over 19 years for hundreds of customers, including NASA.
The bad parts were used in the making of Taurus XL, a rocket that was supposed to deliver satellites studying the Earth’s climate during missions carried out in 2009 and 2011. The launch vehicle’s fairing, a clamshell structure that carries the satellite as it travels through the atmosphere, didn’t fully open, causing the unsuccessful launch, according to a statement from NASA.
“When testing results are altered and certifications are provided falsely, missions fail,” said Jim Norman, director for launch services at NASA in Washington. He added that years of scientific work were lost because of the fraud.
News of the satellite failures comes a week after Norsk Hydro ASA, the current parent company of Sapa, agreed to pay $46 million to NASA, the Department of Defense and others to resolve criminal charges and civil claims related to the fraud, which took place from 1996 to 2015.
The company admitted that employees had faked test results related to the metal’s strength and reliability under pressure. Sapa Profiles, now known as Hydro Extrusion Portland Inc., also agreed to plead guilty to one count of mail fraud and is barred from U.S. federal government contracting.
“Corporate and personal greed perpetuated this fraud against the government and other private customers, and this resolution holds these companies accountable for the harm caused by their scheme,” said Brian Benczkowski, assistant attorney general of the criminal division at the Department of Justice, in an April 23 statement.
By David Stringer Bloomberg,May 1, 2019, 6:47 a.m
（译文）根据美国航天局的一项调查，一家金属制造商伪造了测试结果并向NASA提供了有缺陷的材料，导致超过7亿美元的损失和两次失败的卫星发射任务。
这起欺诈事件涉及一家名为Sapa Profiles Inc.的俄勒冈州公司，该公司为包括NASA在内的数百家客户伪造了数千份铝制零件认证。
这些不良部件被用于制造Taurus XL，这是一种火箭，应该在2009年和2011年执行任务期间提供研究地球气候的卫星。运载火箭的整流罩，一种翻盖结构，携带卫星穿过根据美国国家航空航天局的一份声明，大气层没有完全打开，导致发射不成功。
华盛顿NASA发射服务主管吉姆诺曼说：“当测试结果被改变并且认证错误提供时，任务就会失败。” 他补充说，由于欺诈，多年的科学工作已经丢失。
有关卫星故障的消息是在萨帕现任母公司Norsk Hydro ASA同意向NASA，国防部和其他机构支付4600万美元以解决与欺诈相关的刑事指控和民事索赔之后一周发布的。 1996年至2015年。
该公司承认，员工在压力下伪造了与金属强度和可靠性相关的测试结果。Sapa Profiles，现称为Hydro Extrusion Portland Inc.，也同意承认一项邮件欺诈罪，并被禁止与美国联邦政府签订合同。
“公司和个人的贪婪使这种欺诈行为长期存在于政府和其他私人客户身上，而这项决议要求这些公司对其计划造成的损害负责，”司法部刑事部助理检察长Brian Benczkowski表示。 4月23日的声明。
