A 32-year-old man was found guilty after he reportedly bought Chinese parts for a Nasa space launch project and tried to cover it up.

Seongchan “Steven” Yun of Redondo Beach, California, was charged with providing a false document to a federal agency and now faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, according to the United States Department of Justice.

Yun worked for the CBOL Corporation, which provides parts and materials to the aerospace industry, including Nasa.

He was responsible for a contract that would provide stainless steel tubing to carry rocket fuel in support of Nasa’s Space Launch System/Orion project at Kennedy Space Centre.

The contract specifically required the steel be provided by the United States.

Instead Yun procured the materials from China and tried to cover up the foreign exchange.

Investigators found he had had the parts shipped to KSC and created false certifications asserting the steel tubing conformed to all of Nasa’s requirements.

“The Nasa Office of Inspector General will continue to aggressively investigate those who undermine and defraud Nasa efforts to build the SLS launch vehicle and its systems,” said Special Agent in Charge John Corbett, from the Central Field Office.

“This jury verdict serves as a staunch reminder that such conduct will not be tolerated.”

Yun’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 2.