NASA Says Metals Fraud Caused $700 Million Satellite Failure
Source: Bloomberg
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.
relates to NASA Says Metals Fraud Caused $700 Million Satellite Failure
The bad parts were used in the making of Taurus XL, a rocket that was supposed to deliver satellites studying the Earths climate during missions carried out in 2009 and 2011. The launch vehicles fairing, a clamshell structure that carries the satellite as it travels through the atmosphere, didnt fully open, causing the unsuccessful launch, according to a statement from NASA.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-01/nasa-says-aluminum-fraud-caused-700-million-satellite-failures
ancianita
(35,812 posts)cstanleytech
(26,080 posts)that the current fad of having the companies settle with a measly fine.
ancianita
(35,812 posts)exists only to ensure profit at the expense of the national security interests.
NASA might be pure science, but more Americans benefit from it and are *harmed* by such fraud than have the right to profit from this company. So a slap on the financial wrist is inadequate remedy for the nation.
The Mouth
(3,123 posts)If they can't... too bad, life sentence.
groundloop
(11,488 posts)But hey, aluminum is aluminum, right?
cstanleytech
(26,080 posts)friendly_iconoclast
(15,333 posts)Bengus81
(6,907 posts)And of COURSE make no guilty claim and get another load of $100 million $$$ contracts. That Company in the article is barred from doing work for the Gov.
So...file BK,close it down and then start it right back up under a different name.
Julian Englis
(2,309 posts)Duppers
(28,094 posts)If they were not tested in-house, it's because of personnel reductions ordered during Shrub's admin.
Flaleftist
(3,473 posts)I would have assumed any part they put in space would have been tested and retested to guarantee it meets the required specs.
krispos42
(49,445 posts)And non destructive testing is limited, especially if the parts have been anodized or otherwise coated.
My company makes parts that get used by Sikorsky, JPL, and SpaceX, and we certify everything to high heaven. But of a vendor or supplier lies to us, we will have a hard time knowing unless it's visually obvious.
Something like the wrong temper of aluminum we have to rely on the manufacturer's cert, unless the customer specifically requests test samples made from the same material.
JunkYardDogg
(873 posts)I go into numerous subcontractors who make aerospace/defense contractor parts
They all take seriously the whole process of parts & metals testing
And failed parts do end up in their scrap bins
I have seen all types of bad material rejects.
krispos42
(49,445 posts)Chain of custody from the mill source to us, everything to their Materials & Process index and their own internal specs, they have their own list of approved suppliers AND what they are approved for, etc.
We typically spend far more time on paperwork than inspection!
pimpbot
(937 posts)Looks like it was bought out by an international conglomerate in 2000. Oh hey thats right when they started committing fraud!
https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=675956
"Sapa Profiles, Inc. was founded in 1964 and is based in Portland, Oregon. As of September 1, 2000, Sapa Profiles, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Sapa AB."
Then in 2013 it was purchased by another international conglomerate:
https://www.hydro.com/en/about-hydro/history/2006--/2013-The-worlds-biggest-manufacturer-of-aluminium-extrusions/
The jackass CEO is pictured in the middle. He was the CFO then appointed CEO:
https://www.orkla.com/news/svein-tore-holsether-appointed-new-ceo-of-sapa/
Oh and of course he quit in 2015 and moved on to a new company, some international agribusiness:
https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=51446932&privcapId=9235643
These cockroaches never get caught. They just slip away and onto some new company. One wonders who hires these losers. I guess other losers who are on the board. Losers hiring losers and they just move around, never getting their justice.
Midnight Writer
(21,547 posts)nitpicker
(7,153 posts)nitpicker
(7,153 posts)Bengus81
(6,907 posts)According to Republicans...........
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)I guess I should look at the bright side and say nobody had to die horribly before this fraud was discovered...