Delays in launching new satellites – the next one is scheduled for a November 2009 launch, almost 3 years late – could be problematic if the older hardware starts failing. The GAO has calculated – using reliability curves for each operational satellite – that the probability of keeping a 24-satellite constellation in orbit drops below 95 percent in 2010, and could drop as low as 80 percent in 2011 and 2012. And if the Air Force doesn’t meet its goals for the next-generation GPS III satellites, the probability drops to around 10 percent in 2017.
Stop! Want to know the future? Follow us to learn about the future before it gets here.
![[Most Recent Quotes from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/charts/metals/gold/t24_au_en_usoz_2.gif)
