BERLIN, July 14 (Reuters) - German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Tuesday urged timetable and budget discipline ‌for a planned military satellite project valued at ‌10 billion euros ($11.45 billion), saying delays were unacceptable given current threats ​to security.

"We cannot afford delays in these times," Pistorius said during a visit to satellite maker OHB in Bremen.

Germany's armed forces are expected to award contracts for the ‌project - dubbed SATCOMBw4 - ⁠around the end of 2026.

Designed to give the Bundeswehr sovereign space-based communications capability similar to ⁠SpaceX's Starlink network, the project is expected to involve about 200 satellites, with an initial fleet of roughly ​40 that ​could enter service from ​2029.

"The Bundeswehr needs these ‌capabilities," Pistorius said, citing requirements for early warning, reconnaissance, detection and communications in space.

The system would enable autonomous global command-and-control capabilities and help Germany meet its NATO commitments, he added.

OHB is working with Rheinmetall and, according to ‌government and industry sources, Airbus ​Defence on the project. Concerns ​have been raised that ​the consortium structure could limit price competition.

Pistorius ‌warned that threats to satellites ​were already ​a reality, saying countries were investing heavily in offensive counter-space capabilities.

Germany plans to invest a total of ​35 billion euros ‌in space security by 2030, he added.

($1 = 0.8734 ​euros)

(Reporting by Markus Wacket, Writing by Friederike ​Heine, Editing by Miranda Murray)