Dassault VORTEX - program supplier guide | Airframer

Dassault VORTEX

In production

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VORTEX: Véhicule Orbital Réutilisable de Transport et d’Exploration, reusable spaceplane program that lands and manoeuvres in space like an aircraft, for advancing space operations and commercial/science/military missions. Includes subscale VORTEX-D (flight demonstrator, 1:3 scale), and VORTEX-S (smart free flyer, 2:3 scale) variants, and full-scale VORTEX-C (cargo), and VORTEX-M (manned) variants. In development.

Photo: Dassault Aviation - FGL

Lift type

Fixed wing

Assembly

Factory-built

Control

Piloted

Engine type

Application

Cargo, Experimental, Utility, Spaceflight

Design & construction

The aircraft as engineered: what it is built from, the systems it flies with, and its configuration — each box a theme.

Airframe & structure

Primary structure

Composite

Wing

Composite

Pressurisation

Unpressurised

Systems & avionics

Flight controls

Full FBW digital

Technical reference compiled with AI research; a value appears only where two independent research passes and a web fact-check agree. Gaps are deliberate.

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The industry ledger — an Analytics feature — holds every dated event on this program: contracts, certifications, first flights and appointments, each linked to its source. See a worked example →

Type variants

Variant	Launch / first flight	Production end	Notes
Dassault VORTEX-D	/		Reusable spaceplane technology demonstrator, will use Rocket Lab Electron as launch vehicle.
Dassault VORTEX-S	/		Larger variant with service module.

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Dassault Aviation

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The program’s dated history — milestones, contracts, supplier selections and facilities, each linked to its source. Log in to view.

Information on this page is compiled from a variety of published sources; links do not necessarily imply recommendation or confirmation by the airframe manufacturer.