At last week’s Paris Air Show, Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the French Armed Forces, and Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, announced the signing of an agreement to support the development of a spaceplane demonstrator.
This demonstrator represents the first step in an incremental and intrinsically dual roadmap for the development of a family of spaceplanes called VORTEX (Véhicule Orbital Réutilisable de Transport et d’Exploration).
In line with its key role in national aeronautical sovereignty, Dassault Aviation is building this roadmap to contribute to the development of key strategic capabilities and meet the new challenges of the space economy. It addresses multiple applications, including transport to and from orbit, and civil and military missions for an autonomous orbital platform.
Drawing on Dassault Aviation’s solid and recognised industrial expertise as an architect and integrator of complex airborne systems, reinforced by that acquired in the space sector on such emblematic projects as Hermès, the X-38 and the IXV, this demonstrator aims to validate the critical performances associated with the configuration of a spaceplane, in particular control of hypersonic flight, advanced thermal protection technologies and flight control. These demonstration objectives are an essential step in reducing technological uncertainties and preparing for future decisions on operational space capabilities, both military and civilian.
By adopting an agile innovation approach aimed at accelerating the maturation of critical technologies and disruptive concepts, Dassault Aviation is embracing the spirit of NewSpace, optimizing industrial processes and seeking the optimum balance between technical performance, development time, risk mitigation and cost efficiency.
“Like Dassault Aviation’s civil and military aircraft, the VORTEX spaceplane is designed to be highly versatile. It will contribute to transforming the uses of the space sector and opening up new fields of application. At the crossroads of aviation and space technologies, the VORTEX will undoubtedly pave the way for a new generation of space aeronautics, consolidating France’s strategic position as a leading space power. Dassault Aviation is proud to take on this historic challenge and thanks the French Ministry of Armed Forces for its confidence,” said Eric Trappier.
In another announcement, ESA and Dassault Aviation have identified a mutual interest in developing a closer relationship to commonly foster technology development in areas such as LEO destinations and particularly around orbital vehicules.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Dassault Aviation, a French civilian and military aircraft manufacturer recognized worldwide for its excellence, underlying their common interest to develop a closer relationship.
ESA, with its ambitious strategy for space exploration, Explore2040, is seeking innovative solutions for capabilities development to reach and return from Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Moon and Mars, and supports the advancement of selected critical enabling technologies to be used and demonstrated in particular in LEO, such as hypervelocity re-entry.
The signatories of the LoI, have identified a mutual interest in developing a closer relationship with the potential to commonly derisking critical technologies as well as to further explore the potential for collaboration in areas such as LEO destinations and particularly around orbital vehicules. As such, both foresee an interest to cooperate on a scaled down suborbital version of VORTEX, serving as a testbed, with a focus on, but not limited to:
- Designing, testing and qualifying key technologies and components
- New materials and integration processes
- Assessing the feasibility to include future payloads in case of the integration of a dedicated bay on the end-product
With over 10,000 military and civil aircraft delivered in more than 90 countries over the last century, Dassault Aviation has built up expertise recognized worldwide in the design, production, sale and support of all types of aircraft, ranging from the Rafale fighter, to the high-end Falcon family of business jets, military drones and space systems. In 2024, sales amounted to € 6.2 billion. Dassault Aviation has 14,600 employees.
