Credit: Dassault Aviation

Dassault Aviation and German satellite developer OHB have teamed up to propose Dassault’s Vortex-S spaceplane become a European Space Agency program.

The two companies are proposing the spacecraft as a means of transporting supplies to space stations and performing autonomous orbital free flyer missions.

Dassault and OHB are the first partners in the initiative, Dassault announced on May 11. Dassault is the prime architect and integrator of the spaceplane, and OHB would develop the service module. Together they would form the core team of the proposed European Space Agency (ESA) project.

Discussions are underway with other European space companies to further expand the team.

Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault, said the initiative would “strengthen Europe’s space capabilities,” and described the agreement with OHB as “highly effective.”

“The partnership with Dassault Aviation is a perfect match,” said Marco Fuchs, CEO of OHB, adding: “we share the same vision and bring complementary strengths to the development of a reusable spaceplane.”

Trappier revealed the intention to propose Vortex as an ESA project last July after the French government announced €30 million ($35 million) of fundingto support a proof-of-concept program a month earlier. Dassault has already begun selecting potential suppliers for a demonstrator, known as Vortex-D, which the company aims to fly as early as 2028.

The Vortex-D would be followed by Vortex-S smart free-flyer and then the Vortex-C operational cargo vehicle with a system weight of 8-9 metric tons and 2 tons of payload. The company also has long-term plans for a human-rated Vortex-H.

Quelle: AVIATION WEEK