Skynet 6, the UK’s flagship military satellite communications platform, is facing continued delays over the manufacturing supply chain, written statements in the UK Houses of Parliament have revealed.

Questions raised by MP Ben Obese-Jecty, Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Defence) to MP Luke Pollard, Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry, queried the ongoing delays in the Skynet programme highlighted by the UK’s National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) in its 2025-26 Major Projects Annual Report.

According to the NISTA report, published on 13 July 2026, the organisation had downgraded its delivery confidence assessment of the Skynet 6 programme to red status – one of 34 red-list programmes from across government under its observation. The report noted that delays in the publication of the 2026 Defence Investment Plan (DIP) meant that there were challenges around the “programme’s scope and financial provision,” leading to a disparity in what could be achieved. Resourcing limitations and sub-par supplier performance was also noted as delaying factors for the manufacturing of the first satellite.

When pressed on the reason for the delays, Pollard responded on 8 September 2026 that: “The main ones relate to the impact of the Covid restrictions, the sequestration by the US government of some key US-supplied components for their own programmes which drove a late need to find an alternative source of supply, problems with build quality, and third-party supplier issues.”

The Skynet 6 programme

The Skynet programme has been a long-running communications capability for the British armed forces. The first Skynet satellite was launched in 1969, with the current Skynet 5 generation satellites being launched between 2007 and 2012. Notably, the Skynet 5 programme was run through a private finance initiative (PFI) contract between industry and government.

Funding for the PFI contract ended in 2022, with the Skynet 5 satellites having their life extended into the late 2020s to cover the possible gap between their operation and the introduction of the Skynet 6 satellites. The acquisition of the replacement Skynet 6A satellite was announced on 19 July 2020 with a contract value of over GBP 500 million. The Skynet 6A system is based on Airbus’ Eurostar Neo geostationary telecommunications satellite, with the bus being used in other government and military communications programmes such as Spain’s SpainSat NG, Germany’s SATCOMBw 3, the UAE’s Al Yah 4 & 5, and EUTELSAT 36D.

Construction of the Skynet 6A satellite is taking place at Airbus’ sites in Stevenage and Portsmouth in the UK, with 3D printed radio frequency components from the Portsmouth facility being used across the Eurostar Neo platforms. Testing of Skynet 6A took place at the UK government’s National Satellite Testing Facility at RAL Space in Harwell, Oxfordshire, in 2025.

The Skynet 6A satellite was due to have been launched in 2025, but is now booked to be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket in 2027. Further delays to the programme may prove costly if the launch date has to be deferred again.

In addition to the Skynet 6A satellite, additional satellites are being procured to provide a wideband communications capability on the X-band and military Ka-band (Mil-Ka) frequency bands. Under the Skynet 6EC (extended capability) programme, the acquisition of multiple additional medium wideband satellite systems (WSSs) is being conducted to deliver a wider satellite capability that will last out to the 2040s. The competition for the contract to build the geostationary satellites is currently being competed between Lockheed Martin and Airbus, but has faced delays. The UK MoD had intended to have the contract awarded by the start of 2026, but selection and negotiation has been delayed.

A planned Skynet 6 Narrowband (UHF) Satcom System satellite was cancelled as part of the 2026 Defence Investment Plan’s rationalisation of defence spending. Northrop Grumman and Thales had been bidding for the contract, however Thales was the sole bidder from 2023 after Northrop Grumman withdrew from the competition. The government has opted to take an “approach which combines sovereign capability with modern technologies and ‘space-as-a-service’ solutions alongside allies,” in addition to the Skynet 5 life extension.

Within the UK’s 2025 Strategic Defence Review, the Skynet 6A and 6EC were listed as being essential to the review’s “understand” and “strike” capabilities – enabling space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, exchange information, and communications. As a foreboding of the delays into service, the review noted that “The department [MoD] should periodically review the Skynet 6A and Skynet 6EC satellite communications programmes to ensure this capability will be resilient and operationally relevant upon entry into service.”

Supply chain diversification challenges

The role of US subcomponents in the supply chain delaying satellite programmes is not new. In the example of the UAE’s FalconEye surveillance satellite programme, components for the Astrium Satellites and Thales Alenia Space system were held up by US export controls.

The two FalconEye satellites were constructed on the basis of the French Pléiades-HR high-resolution optical imaging satellites, with a spatial resolution of 70 cm. Two subcomponents from the US, governing focal plane arrays and data communications systems, were withheld due to US export controls around the transfer of such capabilities to non-NATO countries. Further concerns were raised by the UAE over the potential for the US to restrict the use of the satellites over certain locations to support the security of the US and its allies.

Following intervention by then-president Barack Obama in 2014, the components were cleared for export, but came with additional concerns over US intervention in critical supply chains. As a result, European nations began working on developing ITAR-free systems that could be delivered through sovereign supply chains.

Outlook

Beyond the space sector, the role of US firms in supplying defence electronics – from communications systems to global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers and sensor systems – can remain critical in ensuring capabilities can be deployed and maintained. As the US and its partners seek to replenish munitions stockpiles, the US will prioritise its own needs over its allies’. Limited supplies, particularly in the face of shortages such as silicon chips, makes for a more constrained supply chain procurement environment. For US users, leveraging a sequestration regulation will help their delivery to domestic customers, but will risk alienating foreign partners.

As the build quality issues show, standing up non-US supply chains is not as simple as it seems. The harsh requirements of space technology – such radiation hardening and dealing with the shocks of launch – as well as the requirements for high-precision and sensitive equipment mean that full sovereign supply chains will take time and investment to deliver on. Ultimately, projects like Skynet 6 will continue to experience delays when dealing with multinational supply chains where quality cannot be compromised on.