Dassault Starts Vortex Spaceplane Parts Production
a day ago
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- Dassault Aviation has begun constructing parts for the Vortex spaceplane demonstrator, targeting a first flight by 2028.
- Components are being tested for heat shield technologies at the Italian Aerospace Research Center in Capua, Italy.
- Vortex will have a wider wingspan than Boeing's X-37B for better maneuvering and aerobraking below 120 km altitude.
- The 4-meter-long, 1-metric-ton Vortex-D demonstrator will fly at Mach 10-12 at around 100 km altitude.
- The project aims to validate system architecture and technologies like thermal protection materials and reaction control systems.
- France and Dassault are jointly investing €70 million ($83 million), split equally, with plans to launch on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket.
- Dassault is open to partnerships, similar to the Neuron UAV project, with assembly at its Istres, France site.
- Vortex is seen as a dual-purpose system for both defense and commercial space applications, such as cargo return from orbit.
- Future plans include Vortex-S, Vortex-C (8-9 metric tons, 2-ton payload), and a human-rated Vortex-H.