Unveiling Arc, the New Orbital Courier by Inversion Space

On October 1, 2025, Inversion introduced Arc, calling it the world’s first space-based delivery vehicle. Its mission is to enable rapid cargo drop-offs anywhere on Earth in under an hour while opening a new frontier for hypersonic testing.

Arc is a fully reusable, autonomously guided spacecraft with a payload bay sized for diverse mission needs. It can reenter from orbit, maneuver through hypersonic flight, and land under parachutes with no crew on board.

Introducing Arc – the world’s first space-based delivery vehicle.

Arc enables the on-demand delivery of cargo and effects to anywhere on Earth in under an hour, and offers unparalleled hypersonic testing capabilities.

Arc reshapes defense readiness by enabling access to… pic.twitter.com/zdbwiVbjDa

— Inversion (@InversionSpace) October 2, 2025

The company envisions constellations of vehicles stationed in low-Earth orbit, ready to be called down on demand. These fleets could be tailored in size and position to match the logistics needs of different customers.

The debut follows Inversion’s selection in Kratos’ $1.45 billion MACH-TB 2.0 program, securing government backing for its role in hypersonic technology. The first orbital mission is targeted for 2026, building on the successful flight of the smaller Ray capsule earlier this year.

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A new entry in the re-entry vehicles club

Arc builds on the legacy of Ray, Inversion’s 20-inch tech demonstrator that received an FAA reentry license in late 2024 and completed its first orbital flight in January 2025. Unfortunately, a shorted transistor prevented the propulsion system from working properly, making the reentry attempt impossible. Unlike Ray, Arc scales up to a fully reusable, maneuverable spacecraft with a payload bay.

Each spacecraft will be launched to low-Earth orbit, where it will loiter as part of a constellation until called down on demand. On reentry, it will use its lifting-body shape for cross-range maneuvering before deploying a parafoil to land autonomously and safely at locations designated by the customer.

This approach puts Arc in the same family as ESA’s Space Rider, and Space Cargo Unlimited’s REV-1, all designed to glide or descend under parachutes after reentry. The difference is that Arc emphasizes rapid response and precision delivery over long-duration missions or in-space manufacturing.

Compared to spaceplanes like Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser, its design avoids the complexity of wings, landing gear, and runway requirements. It offers a leaner, quicker alternative to the “eternal promise” of winged spaceplanes that have faced decades of delays.

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The future of space logistics by Inversion

Founded in 2021, Inversion set out to make space part of Earth’s logistics chain, rather than a distant frontier. Its long-term vision is a constellation of reusable return vehicles that can serve defense, commercial, and humanitarian needs, effectively creating a new layer of global infrastructure in orbit.

“History shows that every breakthrough in logistics – from railroads to aviation – has unlocked new industries and reshaped economies at scales few could have imagined at the start. Arc represents the next leap, creating a logistics network in space that will make Earth radically more accessible.”

— Justin Fiaschetti, Co-Founder and CEO of Inversion

Arc embodies the technical maturation of this strategy, building on the lessons of Ray with in-house developed avionics, structures, and thermal protection systems. By transitioning from a demo capsule to a scalable, orbital courier, the company will demonstrate its ability to move from prototyping to operational capability.

Inversion’s role in Kratos’ $1.45 billion MACH-TB 2.0 program, along with support from SpaceWERX, provides both funding and validation. This backing is expected to accelerate development toward the 2026 debut, ensuring Arc can be tested not only as a logistics tool but also as a hypersonic platform.

^{*Cover image credits: Inversion}

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