The UK's National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) has rated the £8.35 billion Skynet 6 military satellite communications programme "red", meaning successful delivery in its current form appears unachievable. The downgrade from last year's amber rating matters because Skynet underpins UK military satellite communications and is intended to remain in service through 2041, with any further slippage raising questions about defence readiness and cost control on a project whose price has already grown substantially.

NISTA attributed the decline to Ministry of Defence-wide recruitment and staffing shortages alongside "sub-par supplier performance" delaying the first satellite, Skynet 6A, which is now due to launch aboard a SpaceX rocket in 2027 having originally been scheduled for 2025. Airbus is building the satellite, while Babcock holds a £400 million contract to operate the UK's military satellite constellation and ground stations. The programme's total estimated lifecycle cost rose from £7.1 billion to £8.35 billion, which the MoD has attributed to technology and functionality changes, emerging risks and rising space-sector prices; a red rating does not guarantee failure but signals the project may need rescoping.