German minister warns against unacceptable delays to 10 billion euro satellite project

BERLIN, July 14 : 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 require