Five companies have expressed interest in replacing Exelis as the payload provider on the next-generation GPS 3 satellite navigation system now in development and production, an official with prime contractor Lockheed Martin Space Systems said. Exelis' struggles on the payload -resulting in delays and one very unhappy U.S. Air Force customer - prompted Lockheed Martin to consider switching suppliers beginning with the ninth satellite in the series. Denver-based Lockheed Martin Space Systems is so far under contract to build eight GPS 3 satellites, with Exelis providing the payloads. "It's a possibility," Mark Valerio, vice president of military space business at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, said on the chances of holding a competition.
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