France, Dassault Sign Deal to Develop VORTEX Spaceplane Demonstrator

At the Paris Air Show, Dassault Aviation and the French Ministry of Armed Forces signed an agreement to develop the VORTEX spaceplane demonstrator, a reusable and dual-use platform designed for both military and civilian orbital missions. VORTEX aims to validate key technologies such as hypersonic flight control, advanced thermal protection, and precision flight management, leveraging Dassault's experience from prior European space projects like Hermès, X-38, and IXV. The spaceplane will support diverse applications including orbital transport, autonomous missions, payload delivery, object retrieval, and in-orbit servicing, with a phased development approach moving from scaled demonstrators to full-scale crewed spacecraft. French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the strategic importance of the project, highlighting its potential to enhance France's position as a leading space power amid global competition in space. The initiative aligns with France's commitment to strengthening its aeronautical sovereignty and accelerating innovation in the NewSpace era, with possible funding support from both the French government and the European Space Agency. Dassault Aviation envisions VORTEX as a transformative asset at the intersection of aviation and space technologies, opening new fields of application and reinforcing France's autonomy and power in space.