In December 1998, NASA launched the Mars Climate Orbiter, a robotic space probe intended as the communications relay for the Mars Polar Lander. By September 1999, the spacecraft had disintegrated after coming too close to Mars and passing into its upper atmosphere.

The problem? A simple unit conversion error, where ground-based software produced data in non-SI units when NASA calculations were in metric units. Experts attributed the disaster—and other billion-dollar spaceflight failures that year—to poor quality control and overemphasis on cutting costs.

These problems are not uncommon in aerospace manufacturing and are often a result of failures to focus company culture around quality. This article looks at why aerospace OEMs and suppliers struggle to create a stronger culture of quality, and how to break through the status quo.

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