On 11 May 2026, the French company Dassault Aviation published a press release on its website announcing its collaboration with Otto Hydraulik Bremen Societas Europaea (OHB SE) and other European partners on a proposal for the VORTEX-S multi-purpose autonomous spaceplane project to the European Space Agency (ESA).
Dassault Aviation, as the lead designer and overall integrator of the VORTEX-S spaceplane, and OHB – a leading European technology group based in Bremen, Germany, specialising in space systems, digital solutions and access to space – as the designer and integrator of the spacecraft’s service module, will together form the core of the team working on the proposed ESA project.
The proposed spacecraft would be capable of carrying out transport flights to and from space stations, as well as free-flyer missions in orbit.
Discussions are currently underway with other major European space companies regarding the expansion of the team involved in the project, which is intended to contribute to the advancement of European future space mobility capabilities.
“With the Vortex-S proposal to ESA, we aim to strengthen Europe’s space capabilities. Our German friends at OHB are natural partners to participate in this project, bringing their remarkable expertise. We are very pleased with this collaboration, which promises to be highly effective,” declared Éric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation.
“Vortex-S for ESA is an ambitious initiative driven by the need for autonomous European space transportation capabilities. As one of Europe’s leading space companies, the orbital domain is our natural playing field. The partnership with Dassault Aviation is a perfect match: as family-owned high-tech companies, we share the same vision and bring complementary strengths to the development of a reusable spaceplane – Dassault Aviation as aircraft manufacturer, and OHB as space company” said Marco Fuchs, CEO of OHB.
Approval of the VORTEX-S programme by the ESA could represent a significant step towards Europe joining the small group of countries – including the United States, China and India – and their companies involved in the development of reusable orbital spaceplanes, such as the Boeing X-37B, which has already successfully completed several missions, and the Dream Chaser, which is currently being built by Sierra Space. The initiative by Dassault Aviation and OHB SE raises hopes that Europe will finally develop its own capabilities in the field of unmanned space shuttles in the coming years, thereby strengthening its independent access to space.
Cover photo: Visualisation of the VORTEX-S spaceplane. © Dassault Aviation
Information from the Dassault Aviation company press release were used.
