NASA Says Metals Fraud Caused $700 Million Satellite Failure
- Sapa Profiles falsified thousands of aluminum test results
- The bad parts caused two NASA satellite launches to fail
Photographer: NASA via Getty Images
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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.