Exceptional heritage
Three main areas were developed
Before beginning the the Vortex program, Dassault Aviation studied and was involved in numerous spaceplane projects since the 1960s.
1
Space system components, based on winged and reusable vehicles, to reduce launch costs while improving flexibility
2
Orbital vehicles, including the European Hermes spaceplane program, the X-38 rescue boat, and the IXV demonstrator, which flew in 2015
3
Automated and crewed suborbital vehicles based on the VEHRA family (VSH, K1000, etc.)
Of all these programs, the Hermes spaceplane was the most significant and mobilized hundreds of engineers in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Developed for the European Space Agency, Dassault Aviation was the delegated prime contractor for the aeronautical aspects of this spaceplane, which was intended to transport three astronauts into orbit.
Vortex is a highly modernized successor to Hermes, meeting the specific needs of the 21st-century civil and military sectors.
© Dassault Aviation
Hermes
Manned spaceplane (3 astronauts) for low Earth orbit with solo missions or to service orbital infrastructure.
CNES, then ESA program conducted at Dassault Aviation between 1983 and 1993:
- Dassault Aviation was the delegated prime contractor for the aeronautical part of the programme;
- Highly developed European cooperation.
Several new technologies have been developped within this programs in various fields: aerothermodynamics, Guidance, Navigation and Control, Human-Machine Interface, flight controls, spacesuits, etc.
3D reproduction of the Hermes spaceplane.
© Dassault Aviation
© NASA
X-38
From 1995 to 2002, Dassault Aviation contributed to the X-38 program, a demonstrator for NASA’s International Space Station rescue boat.
This was a hull derived from the American X-24A, for which Dassault Aviation modified the shape, in particular to adapt the base for atmospheric reentry, and participated in the development of the parafoil that was to be used until landing.
As part of this program, Dassault Aviation was present in Houston for several years, and the company participated in the flight tests (tethered and released under parafoil).
IXV
Dassault participated between 2008 and 2015 in the successful European Space Agency’s (ESA) IXV program, a demonstrator of orbital return vehicles following the ARD capsule. The IXV is a maneuverable vehicle (equipped with two elevators).
In partnership with the prime contractor TAS-I, Dassault Aviation was involved in:
- Defining the shape;
- Aerodynamics;
- Sensor integration.
The IXV demonstrator completed almost one orbit on February 11, 2015, and was recovered after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
© Mourad Cherfi for Dassault Aviation
