Dassault VORTEX (Véhicule Orbital Réutilisable de Transport et d'Exploration)

Last edited:
Based on the official website, it appears that the Vortex-S (Dassault + OHB), will not simply serve as an intermediate 2/3-scale step between the 1/3-scale Vortex-D demonstrator and the full-scale Vortex-C Cargo vehicle, but will be a commercial product in its own right.

https://space-vortex.com/en/characteristics/

Vortex-S will succeed to the Vortex-D demonstrator. This spaceplane will give start-ups and large companies access to a unique microgravity environment, offering huge potential for research and production in many fields.

Vortex-S will offer cargo transport capabilities to future private space stations (Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Destinations) or act as a sovereign and autonomous space station. Its characteristics also make it an ideal tool for experimenting and validating orbital technologies in the civil and military sectors.

Vortex-S is designed to anticipate the need for larger variants, allowing more cargo to be transported, or astronauts, to address institutional space stations or future Commercial LEO Destinations.

Vortex-C and H are expected to enter into service by the middle of the next decade.

A LOW G-FORCE AND FLEXIBLE REENTRY​

  • Low G-force return to Earth (< 2 g).
  • Flexible atmospheric reentry, as Vortex-S offers up to 1,500 km of cross-range
  • Accurate landing capability even with short notice.
  • Increased opportunities for return compared to a capsule.

PAYLOAD​

Vortex spaceplanes are equipped with payload bays protected by removable doors that fully maintain their functionality during the dynamic phases of spaceflight (primarily launch and return to orbit).

VORTEX-S payload capacity
  • 2 t
  • 8 m3
Click to expand...
 
Flyaway said:
OHB Joins Dassault Aviation’s VORTEX Spaceplane Initiative
Click to expand...
Remarkable that Dassault is able to partner with German and Spanish « best athletes »… Spanish rocket engines on a French flight vehicle using German space systems.

This in fact looks similar to the successful Neuron model. Now compare to FCAS… frustrating that so many people do not understand the importance of different partnership models and automatically assume that Dassault is unwilling or incapable of collaborating across borders.
 
It´s a 30M€ project only! Nobody in the aerospace anymore growth teeth for such.
 
TomcatViP said:
It´s a 30M€ project only! Nobody in the aerospace anymore growth teeth for such.
Click to expand...
No the Vortex-D demonstrator is already a 70M€ project, with 30M€ funding by the FRgov and majority by Dassault.
The project with OHB is the Vortex-S.
 
Last edited:
https://meta-defense.fr/2026/05/13/vortex-s-dassault-ohb-proposent-a-esa/
Interesting article
In this context, Dassault is developing a coherent roadmap combining the Rafale F5, designed for endurance and cognitive perception of its environment, and a heavy stealth combat drone derived from the "Neuron", intended to penetrate the enemy bubble to detect and designate targets. VORTEX space planes must complete this set by deploying, beyond the atmosphere, means of detection, designation, and communication, in order to extend web kill without exposing support devices.

Dassault could be open to work with US Space Force , and offer Vortex to replace the X-37 B in the futur
Vortex is thinking with military capacity.

The approach adopted by Dassault is incremental. «We are going in stages, with a demonstrator that we will test on the suborbital, then on the orbital, and then with a crew. We will need a very flexible small pitcher to pitch it," said Éric Trappier. If the VORTEX‐S is selected and properly funded, it could contribute, under certain conditions, to reducing European dependence on certain orbital missions and providing forces with an exo‐atmospheric link in the service of an extended web kill.

https://space-vortex.com/versions/
 
Last edited:
Proposing the VORTEX-S Multipurpose Space Plane
Aviation, 2026-05-15
https://www.aerospace-and-defence.c...-proposal-a-c97b4aa75b51d23a00534a1059e4c55d/

Dassault Aviation and OHB announce that they are teaming up to propose a multipurpose spaceplane VORTEX-S to the European Space Agency (ESA), capable of round-transport to space stations and of autonomous orbital free flyer missions, together with a number of other European partners.

“Vortex-S for ESA is an ambitious initiative driven by the need for autonomous European space transportation capabilities. As one of Europe’s leading space companies, the orbital domain is our natural playing field. The partnership with Dassault Aviation is a perfect match: as family-owned high-tech companies, we share the same vision and bring complementary strengths to the development of a reusable spaceplane—Dassault Aviation as aircraft manufacturer, and OHB as space company”, said Marco Fuchs, CEO of OHB.
Click to expand...
 
New partners
https://space-vortex.com/ila-berlin-2026/

2026 ILA Berlin​

Dassault Aviation is proud to showcase a scale model of its Vortex-S spaceplane at its partner OHB’s booth.

Dassault Aviation is proud to showcase a scale model of its Vortex-S spaceplane at its partner OHB’s booth during the ILA air show in Berlin. Designed to address the challenges of European sovereignty and the new space economy, Vortex-S is an industrial program that brings together major players in the European space sector: OHB System and MT Aerospace (Germany), APCO (Switzerland), SENER (Spain), and Space Cargo Unlimited (Luxembourg).
Click to expand...

https://space-vortex.com/app/uploads/2026/04/vortex-newsletter-volume-1-en.pdf
Dassault Aviation and Space Cargo Unlimited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding during the Space Tech Expo of Bremen on November 20 th, to integrate BentoBox, Space Cargo Unlimited’s autonomous payload operations platform aboard Vortex.

This collaboration supports the commercialization roadmap of the Vortex Program, reinforcing Europe’s Strategic autonomy in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by combining Dassault Aviation’s leadership in complex aerospace systems with Space Cargo Unlimited’s expertise in autonomous payload management and growing commercial ecosystem.
Click to expand...
Vortex-D
Production starts

The first parts for the Vortex-D demonstrator program were manufactured in March 2026. The first subassembly integration will take place in Istres France. Vortex-D’s suborbital flight, scheduled for 2028, aims to validate the aerodynamic shapes and flight controls during the hypersonic phase. The vehicle will exceed Mach 12 during atmospheric re-entry.
Click to expand...
 

Attachments

  • image.jpeg
    image.jpeg
    161 KB · Views: 58
  • image.png
    image.png
    1.2 MB · Views: 35
  • image.png
    image.png
    402.4 KB · Views: 46
Last edited by a moderator:
France has announced it will support the program beyond the demonstrator

https://www.dassault-aviation.com/e...s/reusable-orbital-spaceplane-program-vortex/
Dassault Aviation welcomes France’s decision to support the VORTEX spaceplane project. This decision, announced today by French President Emmanuel Macron during the International Space Summit held in Paris, will strengthen Europe’s space capabilities and expertise.

Designed by Dassault Aviation, the global architect and integrator of the aircraft, VORTEX is a reusable spaceplane tailored for both civil and military orbital missions. Its development will be carried out in partnership with the German company OHB. Several major European aerospace and space industry players have already joined this project: APCO Technologies, MT Aerospace, Sener, Sonaca, Space Cargo Unlimited, and others.

“This project, supported by France, should lead several countries – Germany and others – to join this ambition for mastering mobility in space,” said Éric Trappier, Chairman & CEO of Dassault Aviation.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
https://www.bfmtv.com/economie/entr...aussi-pour-le-vol-habite_AD-202609150473.html

German OHB says the Vortex spaceplane developed with French Dassault is "definitely also intended for crewed flight"​


With Vortex, Dassault and OHB are finding a new area of Franco-German cooperation, following the abandonment in June 2026 of SCAF, the European future combat aircraft programme, due to industrial disagreements between Dassault, representing France, and Airbus, representing Germany.

The Vortex spaceplane, developed by French company Dassault Aviation and German company OHB, could eventually carry astronauts as an alternative to capsules, OHB Deputy CEO Markus Moeller said on Tuesday. Europe made the development of its own crewed spaceflight capabilities a priority last week at the first international space summit in Paris, amid growing uncertainty over space cooperation with the United States on certain exploration programmes. Vortex is "definitely also intended for crewed flight", Markus Moeller said during a meeting with members of the French aerospace journalists' association AJPAE.

OHB, a major European satellite company, joined Vortex in May 2026. The project had been launched by Dassault Aviation at the Paris Air Show in June 2025. Last week, the project received backing from the French state. With Vortex, Dassault and OHB are finding a new area of Franco-German cooperation following the abandonment in June 2026 of SCAF, the European future combat aircraft programme, due to industrial disagreements between Dassault, representing France, and Airbus, representing Germany.

"There are two areas of expertise coming together," and the CEOs of the two family-owned groups "get along very well,"according to Markus Moeller.

"Guidance" to be unveiled on December 15​

The project will initially begin with a full-scale demonstrator designed to test atmospheric re-entry, materials exposed to extremely high temperatures, and landing. This first stage is scheduled for 2028. A prototype intended to become the operational vehicle is planned for 2031. The timeline for a potential crewed flight, however, remains undetermined. The European Space Agency (ESA) ministerial-level meeting scheduled for December 15 in Rome should "provide guidance", according to Alain Bories, adviser to OHB's CEO.

"Crewed flight itself is very complicated because so many precautions have to be taken," Markus Moeller stressed, arguing that the development of private space stations could create a sustained need for a human presence in low Earth orbit.

Vortex is intended as an alternative to space capsules, with a vehicle capable of re-entering the atmosphere and landing on a runway in a controlled and programmed manner. "With a capsule, you certainly have a solution that has its advantages, but you have less control over the landing areas and recovery operations," OHB executives explained.
Click to expand...
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom