Delay In System Design Won't Hold Up GPS III Contract GPS World, September 5, 2007

http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/CORS/Newsletter/090507.doc
The U.S. Air Force has reportedly delayed a decision to proceed into the preliminary design phase of the GPS III program, but this should not delay the award of the contract to build the GPS Block IIIA satellites, according to informed sources.
Delays in the program have worried defense and aerospace contractors in the past. GPS III comprises an update and modernization of the GPS satellite constellation first mandated in 2000. The Air Force's GPS Wing issued a request for proposal for the development and production of the first eight GPS III satellites earlier this summer; both Lockheed-Martin and Boeing responded, submitting their proposals last week.
The Air Force has said it plans to issue the contract for these first eight satellites, dubbed Block IIIA, later this year, with a planned launch of the first craft in 2013. Eight GPS IIIB and 16 GPS IIIC satellites are planned for later increments, with each increment including more capabilities based on technical maturity.
When fully deployed, the GPS III constellation will enable a cross-link command-and-control architecture, allowing the entire GPS constellation to be updated from a single ground station instead of waiting for each satellite to orbit in view of a ground antenna, as well as a new spot beam capability for enhanced M-Code coverage and increased resistance to hostile jamming, according to the Air Force.
The Air Force is also in the process of updating its GPS ground control system this month. It will be bringing a system online built around a modern server-based architecture, replacing the mainframe system that has been in use since the 1970s.