Inversion
Inversion builds reusable space-based reentry vehicles, notably its Arc spacecraft, for precision orbital cargo delivery to Earth within an hour, hypersonic threat-representative testing, and missile defense. The company serves the U.S. Space Force, Department of Defense, and defense primes including Anduril and Kratos.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Inversion does
Inversion is a Los Angeles-based aerospace and defense company founded in 2021 that builds reusable space-based reentry vehicles for cargo delivery, hypersonic testing, and missile defense applications. The company's core products are Arc, a fully reusable lifting-body spacecraft designed to deliver up to 500-pound payloads anywhere on Earth from Low-Earth Orbit in under an hour with approximately 50-foot landing precision, and Ray, its first in-house developed reentry capsule that successfully reached orbit on SpaceX Transporter-12 in January 2025 to validate key subsystems. Arc is engineered to remain operational in orbit for up to five years, support orbital logistics including asset capture and deployment, and provide hypersonic testing capabilities at Mach 25+ for minutes-long threat-representative trajectories, distinguishing it from seconds-duration sounding rocket platforms.
The company's business model is anchored in U.S. government defense contracting, with revenue generated primarily through SpaceWERX contracts, participation in defense prime-led consortia (notably Anduril Industries' Golden Dome Space-Based Interceptor program and Kratos' MACH-TB 2.0 hypersonic test bed program), and planned future commercial hypersonic testing and orbital cargo delivery services. Inversion has secured an FAA spacecraft reentry license (one of only three companies to hold one), raised approximately $54 million in equity across seed and Series A rounds led by Spark Capital and Adjacent, and obtained a $71 million SpaceWERX contract. The company sells exclusively through direct enterprise and government sales channels, targeting the U.S. Department of Defense, Space Force, and defense primes, with no consumer or SMB distribution. Forward-looking commercial applications for orbital cargo delivery to austere or denied environments are planned but not yet operational.
Inversion firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Inversion
- Legal name
- Inversion Space Company
- Website
- https://inversionspace.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Inversion builds reusable space-based reentry vehicles, notably its Arc spacecraft, for precision orbital cargo delivery to Earth within an hour, hypersonic threat-representative testing, and missile defense. The company serves the U.S. Space Force, Department of Defense, and defense primes including Anduril and Kratos.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Inversion industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Space-based Defense Systems
- NAICS
- Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Reentry, Descent & Landing Systems (Capsules, Heat Shields, Parachutes) (IMABACAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Launch Vehicles & Orbital Rockets (IMABACAA), Hypersonic Systems (Weapons & Defense) (IMABAOAG)
Keywords
Where Inversion is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Inversion business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Government Defense Contracts: Inversion generates revenue through defense contracts with the U.S. government, including a $71 million Space Force SpaceWERX contract for reentry vehicle technology development, and participation in the $1.45 billion MACH-TB 2.0 hypersonic test program through Kratos.
- Space-Based Interceptor Program (Golden Dome): As a partner in Anduril's consortium for the Golden Dome Space-Based Interceptor program (part of up to $3.2 billion in SBI contracts), Inversion contributes reentry vehicle and missile defense technologies to the U.S. Space Force.
- Hypersonic Testing Services: Arc serves as a commercial hypersonic test platform, offering customers the ability to conduct threat-representative flight testing at scale and at conditions tailored to their needs, with pricing likely based on mission or payload.
- Orbital Cargo Delivery Services: Future commercial space-based delivery service using Arc spacecraft constellations in Low-Earth Orbit to deliver cargo to anywhere on Earth in under an hour. Revenue model for commercial applications not yet disclosed.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Hypersonic Testing Platform |
| Subscription | Annual | Orbital Cargo Delivery (Future) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Inversion product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Inversion designs, manufactures, and operates advanced reusable reentry vehicles that deliver cargo from low-Earth orbit to any point on Earth in under an hour, while also serving as a hypersonic test platform. Its flagship product Arc is a fully reusable lifting-body spacecraft that can be pre-positioned in Low-Earth Orbit constellations, deliver 500-pound payloads with ~50-foot precision landing, and remain on orbit for up to five years. The company secures revenue primarily through U.S. defense contracts, defense prime partnerships, and planned commercial hypersonic testing and orbital logistics services.
Product overview
Inversion builds advanced reentry vehicles for next-generation defense capabilities, turning space into a global logistics network. The company offers two spacecraft products: Arc is a flagship space-based delivery vehicle for precision cargo delivery to anywhere on Earth in under an hour, hypersonic testing, and orbital logistics; Ray is the first in-house developed reentry capsule used to validate key subsystems that power Arc. Both vehicles are designed to operate through extreme reentry conditions and land with high precision.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Arc: Space-based delivery vehicle designed for precision delivery of cargo to anywhere on Earth in under an hour. Autonomous, reusable, and low-cost spacecraft that operates from Low-Earth Orbit.
- Ray
Products and services
- Arc Space-based delivery vehicle designed for precision delivery of cargo to anywhere on Earth in under an hour. Autonomous, reusable, and low-cost, Arc operates from Low-Earth Orbit, delivers 500-pound payloads with precision landing within approximately 50 feet, and remains on orbit for up to five years. It also serves as a hypersonic testing platform and supports orbital logistics operations.
- Ray Inversion's first fully in-house developed spacecraft and reentry capsule, designed to validate key technical subsystems that power Arc. Nearly every system was developed in-house by a 25-person team for under $1 million, demonstrating rapid and low-cost advanced space system development.
- Hypersonic Testing Services Commercial hypersonic test platform using Arc to provide customers with realistic, threat-representative flight testing at scale and conditions tailored to their needs, including thermal, structural, and sensor data collection.
- Orbital Cargo Delivery Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Cargo delivery from orbit to any point on Earth in under one hour
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Inversion
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Inversion technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Inversion partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Anduril IndustriescoreInversion is part of Anduril's industry consortium to develop space-based interceptors for the U.S. Space Force's Golden Dome missile defense initiative. Inversion contributes reentry vehicle technologies to the Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) program, which aims to deploy weapons in orbit to intercept missile threats earlier in their flight path. The program has received 20 OTA agreements worth up to $3.2 billion to 12 companies.
- Digital Sovereignty AllianceminorInversion participated in a panel discussion at the 6th Penn Blockchain Conference organized by the Digital Sovereignty Alliance, where Inversion's representative spoke alongside executives from Tenbin Labs, Pantera Capital, and 1inch on tokenization applications. This appears to be a conference/ecosystem interaction rather than a commercial partnership.
- Kratos Defense & Security SolutionscoreInversion was selected by Kratos to join the $1.45 billion Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) 2.0 Program of Record. Inversion provides scalable hypersonic testing capabilities under this program, contributing to the growing ecosystem of commercial space companies supporting U.S. defense hypersonic testing needs.
- Impulse SpaceminorImpulse Space is part of the Anduril-led consortium for the Golden Dome Space-Based Interceptor program alongside Inversion, K2 Space, Sandia National Laboratories, and Voyager Technologies. Impulse contributes in-space propulsion technologies.
- K2 SpaceminorK2 Space is part of the Anduril-led consortium for the Golden Dome Space-Based Interceptor program, contributing satellite bus technologies.
- Sandia National LaboratoriesminorSandia National Laboratories is part of the Anduril-led consortium for the Golden Dome Space-Based Interceptor program, bringing national lab capabilities to the defense effort.
- Voyager TechnologiesminorVoyager Technologies is part of the Anduril-led consortium for the Golden Dome Space-Based Interceptor program, contributing missile defense technologies.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Inversion competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Varda Space Industries: Varda builds autonomous reentry capsules (e.g., W-1) to return payloads from orbit, targeting in-space manufacturing and defense applications. Most direct competitor to Inversion's Ray/Arc reentry vehicles with similar reusable capsule approach.
- Stratolaunch: Stratolaunch operates Talon-A, an autonomous hypersonic testbed, and provides hypersonic flight testing services. Directly comparable to Inversion's Arc hypersonic testbed offering for the defense customer base.
- Impulse Space: Impulse Space provides in-space propulsion and orbital transportation services and is part of the Anduril-led Golden Dome SBI consortium alongside Inversion. Direct peer in orbital logistics and Golden Dome program participation.
- K2 Space: K2 Space builds satellite bus technologies and is part of the Anduril-led Golden Dome Space-Based Interceptor consortium with Inversion. Direct peer for orbital defense hardware and SBI program participation.
- Voyager Technologies: Voyager Technologies contributes missile defense technologies to the Anduril-led Golden Dome SBI consortium alongside Inversion. Direct peer within the same defense space-based interceptor program.
Broad incumbents
- SpaceX: SpaceX operates Dragon (cargo return from ISS), Starship, and rideshare launch services. Broad incumbent covering launch, cargo return, and hypersonic-adjacent capabilities that overlap with Inversion's space-based delivery mission.
- Rocket Lab: Rocket Lab provides launch services (Electron, Neutron) and space systems (solar, structures, software) for commercial and defense customers. Broad incumbent offering overlapping space and defense capabilities to similar customer base.
- Anduril Industries: Anduril is the prime contractor on the Golden Dome SBI consortium in which Inversion is a partner. Broad incumbent defense prime that both competes for and channels work to specialized players like Inversion.
- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions: Kratos is the prime on the MACH-TB 2.0 Hypersonic Test Bed program ($1.45B) where Inversion is a subcontractor. Broad incumbent defense contractor operating in hypersonic testing and target systems overlapping with Arc's hypersonic testbed use case.
Emerging players
- Momentus Space: Momentus provides in-space transportation and orbital logistics services using its Vigoride orbital transfer vehicle. Emerging player in orbital logistics with partial overlap to Inversion's space-based delivery and on-orbit services mission.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Inversion social profiles
Digital presenceInversion financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Inversion leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Inversion funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors20 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Inversion M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Inversion
What does Inversion do?
Inversion designs, manufactures, and operates advanced reusable reentry vehicles that deliver cargo from low-Earth orbit to any point on Earth in under an hour, while also serving as a hypersonic test platform. Its flagship product Arc is a fully reusable lifting-body spacecraft that can be pre-positioned in Low-Earth Orbit constellations, deliver 500-pound payloads with ~50-foot precision landing, and remain on orbit for up to five years. The company secures revenue primarily through U.S. defense contracts, defense prime partnerships, and planned commercial hypersonic testing and orbital logistics services.
Is Inversion a public or private company?
Inversion is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Inversion founded?
Inversion was founded in 2021. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Inversion based?
Inversion is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Inversion make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Government Defense Contracts are the primary driver. The others are space-Based Interceptor Program (Golden Dome), hypersonic Testing Services and orbital Cargo Delivery Services.
Who are Inversion's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Varda Space Industries, Stratolaunch, Impulse Space, K2 Space and Voyager Technologies. Broad incumbents are SpaceX, Rocket Lab, Anduril Industries and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions. Momentus Space is listed as an emerging player.
Does Inversion have an API?
No public API is recorded for Inversion.
What industry is Inversion in?
Inversion's product category is Space-based Defense Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABACAL, Reentry, Descent & Landing Systems (Capsules, Heat Shields, Parachutes), with a secondary code of IMABACAA, Launch Vehicles & Orbital Rockets. Its NAICS code is 336414 and its SIC code is 3760.