Dassault Aviation and Space Cargo Unlimited establish partnership to integrate BentoBox into VORTEX reusable spaceplane to enable autonomous in-orbit operations

Dassault Aviation’s VORTEX (Véhicule Orbital Réutilisable de Transport et d’Exploration) represents the next generation of reusable orbital vehicles, conceived as a versatile and intrinsically dual-use European platform for space operations, including orbital cargo transport, in-orbit servicing, scientific research, and industrial manufacturing.

To advance this vision, Dassault Aviation and Space Cargo Unlimited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding 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.

Integrating BentoBox into VORTEX will enable:

- A controlled microgravity environment to support multiple users for research and manufacturing

- Modular payload operations with configurable architectures based on the BentoBox Kit

- Flexible deployment across commercial and institutional missions, ensuring operational agility and long-term reusability

By combining VORTEX’s orbital versatility with BentoBox’s autonomous operations, the partnership aims to mature key technologies and mission concepts for future LEO destinations and orbital infrastructure programs.

Together, Dassault Aviation and Space Cargo Unlimited are positioning VORTEX as a strategic asset for Europe’s power, autonomy, and innovation in the rapidly evolving space domain.