Dassault describes VORTEX as a reusable spaceplane intended for civil and military orbital missions. The company presented the programme as a strategic aerospace development rather than a business aviation product announcement.
According to Dassault, development will be carried out with German company OHB. It also named APCO Technologies, MT Aerospace, Sener, Sonaca and Space Cargo Unlimited among participating European aerospace and space companies.
The announcement confirms government backing for the project and identifies a multinational industrial team, but does not set out operational dates in the published press material.
Sources
Prepared with AI assistance from the linked sources. Source publication date: 2026-09-10.
Illustrative photograph: Model of Dassault's VORTEX spaceplane at the 2026 Space Symposium.. Image: Blervis ยท CC0. The photograph may show an earlier edition or the destination rather than the reported announcement.
