美國鋁材公司造假19年，致NASA兩顆衛星發射失敗

NASA Says Metals Fraud Caused $700 Million Satellite Failure

美國宇航局說，偽劣金屬導致價值7億美元的衛星損失

來源：彭博社 翻譯：世界播

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.

美國太空總署的一項調查顯示，一家金屬製造商偽造了測試結果，並向美國宇航局提供有缺陷的材料，導致超過7億美元的損失和兩次衛星發射失敗。

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.

這起欺詐案涉及俄勒岡州一家名為薩帕鋁型材的公司，該公司在過去19年里為數百個客戶偽造了數千份鋁製零件認證，其中包括美國宇航局。

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.

這些不合格的零部件被用於製造「金牛座」XL型火箭，該火箭本應在2009年和2011年執行任務期間發射研究地球氣候的衛星。美國宇航局的一份聲明稱，運載火箭的整流罩——攜帶衛星穿越大氣層的一種翻蓋結構——沒有完全打開，導致發射失敗。

「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.

美國宇航局華盛頓發射服務主管吉姆·諾曼說：「當測試結果被篡改，認證被錯誤地提供時，任務就會失敗。」他補充說，多年的科學工作因為欺詐而付諸東流。

Fake Tests

虛假測試

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.

衛星故障的消息傳出一周前，薩帕目前的母公司挪威海德魯鋁業公司同意向美國宇航局、國防部和其他機構支付4600萬美元，以解決1996年至2015年發生的與此次欺詐相關的刑事指控和民事索賠。

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.

該公司承認，員工在壓力下偽造了與金屬強度和可靠性有關的測試結果。薩帕鋁型材公司，現在被稱為波特蘭液壓公司，也同意承認一項郵件欺詐罪，並被禁止與美國聯邦政府簽訂合同。

「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.

美國司法部刑事司助理總檢察長布萊恩·本茲科夫斯基在4月23日的一份聲明中說，「公司和個人的貪婪使這種針對政府和其他私人客戶的欺詐行為長期存在，該決議要求這些公司對其鬼把戲造成的損害負責。」

A spokesman for Norsk Hydro said the case has been settled. Last week, it said it has invested 「significant time and resources to completely overhaul our quality and compliance organizations.」

挪威海德魯鋁業公司的一位發言人說，此案已經得到解決。上周，該公司表示，其已投入「大量的時間和資源，以徹底改革我們的質量和合規機構。」

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