Dassault Aviation and OHB team up to propose to ESA the VORTEX-S multipurpose space plane

May 11, 2026

Dassault Aviation and OHB announce that they are teaming up to propose to the European Space Agency (ESA) a multipurpose spaceplane VORTEX-S, capable of round-transport to space stations and of autonomous orbital free flyer missions, together with a number of other European partners.

Together, Dassault Aviation, as the VORTEX-S prime architect and global integrator of the spaceplane, and OHB, as the architect and integrator of the service module, will form the core team of the proposed ESA project.

Discussions are underway with other major European space companies to expand the team for such a project that will advance Europe’s future in space mobility.

"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.