NASA wasted $ 700 million in rockets and equipment due to fraudulent vendors

NASA reported losing $ 700 million due to fraudulent vendors. Two 92-foot Taurus rockets and the climate monitoring satellites they carried failed during their missions in 2009 and 2011 due to falsified data on their breakable joints.

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NASA released on April 30 its launch services program report (LSP) stating how the agency determined that the aluminum extruder manufacturer Oregon Sapa Profiles, Inc. (SPI) had created false test results, reversed test results and alternated test conditions to produce positive results.

The company has delivered poor quality parts to its customers, including Orbital Sciences (now Orbital ATK), maker of Taurus rockets. According to NASA, because of this poor-quality manufacturing of SAPA, the satellites of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory and Glory satellites did not collapse as expected, as the rockets carried the instruments for measuring the climate.

The rockets then crashed into the ocean.

The report indicates that the loss of rockets and equipment cost more than $ 700,000,000.

The report is clear about the cause

"On February 24, 2009, a Taurus XL (Taurus T8) rocket carrying NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) satellite failed to reach orbit. The Taurus T8 mission failed because the payload fairing did not separate during the climb, which prevented the rocket from losing weight. Because of its extra weight, the Taurus rocket did not reach the orbital speed, which resulted in a total loss of the mission. On March 4, 2011, another Taurus rocket (Taurus T9) carrying NASA's Glory science satellite failed to reach orbit. The T9 Taurus mission also found a failure to separate the payload fairing.The Taurus T8 and T9 missions both reintroduced the Earth's atmosphere, causing fragmentation and / or wear of the rocket and satellite. All surviving pieces would have been dispersed in the Pacific Ocean near Antarctica, "the report says.

Need to trust

NASA says that they do not have the resources to test everything again from external manufacturers. "NASA relies on the integrity of our industry all along the supply chain," said Jim Norman, director of launch services for NASA, in a separate statement.

"We do our own testing, but NASA is not able to test each component again. That's why we require and pay for certain components to be tested and certified by the supplier. When test results are changed and certifications are incorrectly provided, missions fail. "

NASA alerted the Justice Department to its findings. A ministry press release says SPI's parent company, Norsk Hydro ASA, has agreed to pay $ 46 million to NASA, the Ministry of Defense and other entities for thousands of certifications. 39 aluminum extrusions supplied to hundreds of customers. "

The Department of Justice believes that the company was able to hide its poor manufacturing practices by paying bonuses to staff. NASA said the company and other related activities had been banned from government contracts. A replacement at the Lost Orbit Carbon Observatory was launched in 2014, but the Glory has not been replaced.