Europe's reusable spaceplane is back: Dassault and OHB pitch VORTEX-S to ESA

Dassault Aviation and German space company OHB formally proposed VORTEX-S to the European Space Agency on May 11, 2026 — a reusable, winged spaceplane designed to haul cargo to low Earth orbit and bring it back intact, landing on a runway rather than splashing into the ocean. The bid goes directly into ESA's ALADDIN tender, which is evaluating European cargo-return concepts with Phase 2 results expected by mid-2026. If it wins, VORTEX-S could be the closest thing Europe has had to its own space shuttle in three decades.

The pitch

Dassault takes the role of prime architect and systems integrator — a natural fit given the company built the Rafale fighter and the Falcon business jet family. OHB, based in Bremen, leads the service module design, bringing its satellite engineering experience to the spacecraft's back end. Together they're targeting two core use cases: autonomous cargo delivery and return for space stations, and a free-flying science lab for microgravity experiments where a gentle landing is non-negotiable for recovering biological samples.

The program draws directly on European spaceplane heritage. Dassault worked on the Hermes crewed shuttle concept, which was cancelled in 1992 after costs spiraled. ESA's IXV demonstrator then flew in 2015, proving Europe could manage hypersonic reentry at scale. VORTEX-S picks up where those programs left off, but with a deliberately leaner strategy.

The roadmap

Rather than gamble on a full-scale crewed vehicle from the start, the consortium is building in stages. VORTEX-D, a 1:3-scale suborbital demonstrator, is targeted for a first flight in Q2 2028. The full family scales up through VORTEX-S (2:3 scale cargo), VORTEX-C (full cargo), and eventually a crewed VORTEX-H variant further down the line. France's DGA defense procurement agency and CNES space agency have committed €30 million in initial funding, announced at the 2025 Paris Air Show. In April 2026, Spanish startup Arkadia Space was selected to develop the propulsion system for the VORTEX-D demonstrator — keeping the supply chain within Europe.

The competition

VORTEX-S isn't competing alone. ESA's ALADDIN tender also has capsule-based proposals from The Exploration Company and Thales Alenia Space on the table. Sierra Space's Dream Chaser — itself a winged vehicle — is the closest US analog, though it targets NASA's commercial resupply program rather than ESA contracts. For Europe, the stakes go beyond cargo logistics: with SpaceX dominating launch and China building its own station, having an independent reentry vehicle is increasingly a strategic question, not just a commercial one.

ESA's evaluation timeline runs to mid-2026. Operational flights, if VORTEX-S clears all hurdles, are not expected before the early 2030s.