At the Paris Air Show, where French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu signed the Space Pact, Dassault Aviation unveiled the Vortex project, an ambitious "spaceplane" intended to become a reusable manned vehicle capable of maneuvering in orbit and then returning to land on a conventional runway.
With this concept, dubbed Vortex (for Véhicule Orbital Réusable Transport EXploration) internally, the French manufacturer intends to leverage its long-standing expertise in aerodynamics, flight controls, and human-machine interfaces to position itself in a space market now driven by strategic, economic, and scientific challenges, where China, Russia, and the United States are constantly accelerating.
A Dual Military and Civil Concept
Vortex is a new-generation shuttle, designed to meet both the operational needs of the French Air and Space Forces and the expectations of the civilian sector: scientific research, outer space tourism, and institutional services. The vehicle will have a large, modular cargo bay to carry surveillance equipment or commercial payloads, and will be able to accommodate a crew for short- or medium-duration missions. Its ability to land at a conventional airport will provide unprecedented operational flexibility, limiting dedicated ground infrastructure.
Progressive and cooperative development
The Vortex program is being rolled out according to a phased roadmap: development of a suborbital demonstrator, a series of orbital tests, and then qualification for human spaceflight. To achieve this, Dassault Aviation is relying on the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) and the French National Space Agency (CNES), and has already received favorable feedback from the European Space Agency (ESA).
The launch will be carried out by a small, flexible launcher, the size and modularity of which will be adapted to the vehicle's profile. Dassault is also exploring industrial and financial partnerships in France, Europe, and internationally to pool costs and expertise, in line with the projects launched under the 2024-2030 Military Planning Act (LPM) and the Space Action and Resilience (ARES) program.
By presenting the Vortex model at Le Bourget, Dassault Aviation is demonstrating its commitment to bringing extra-atmospheric mobility to a reusable and manned model, heralding greater space autonomy for France and its allies, in a context of competition now underway outside our atmosphere.
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