Inversion's Arc Spacecraft For 1-Hour Deliveries From Space To Earth Is Ready For Liftoff
Fed up with Amazon Prime's same-day delivery promise? How about this for an alternative: a Los Angeles-based startup is aiming for same-hour, anywhere on Earth logistics thanks to its prototype Arc spacecraft. Think space shuttle, but autonomous and much smaller.
Inversion, the company behind this out-of-the-box-but-makes-total-sense idea, is positioning itself to transform the $6 trillion logistics industry by transforming low-Earth orbit into an on-demand logistics network. Its flagship autonomous re-entry spacecraft, called Arc (not to be confused with Intel's Arc graphics), promises to deliver critical cargo from space to virtually any point on the globe in under an hour.
The concept is simple yet ambitious: reusable capsules are launched into orbit, acting as space-based warehouses, with the ability to remain on standby for up to five years. When a delivery is triggered, the chosen Arc vehicle deorbits, executes atmospheric re-entry, and utilizes an autonomously maneuverable parachute system for a gentle, pinpoint landing with a precision of 20 feet (6 meters). This setup eliminates the need for runways or established receiving infrastructure, making remote islands, mountains, or disaster zones instantly accessible.
Unveiled by Inversion co-founder and CEO Justin Fiaschetti, the Arc is compact—roughly the size of a small car—but boasts the capability to carry and deliver up to 500 pounds (approximately 225 kilograms) of payload, which could include anything from medical supplies and trauma kits to battlefield gear and small drones. "The true economic value of space is in accessing the globe," Fiaschetti noted.
While the long-term vision includes commercial supply chain and humanitarian aid, the initial focus and primary customer is military logistics. Last year, Inversion secured a $71 million contract from SpaceWERX (innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force) to accelerate the development of the Arc. The company aims to provide allied military organizations with the ability to deploy critical supplies instantly, even in contested or infrastructure-denied environments.
Not merely a one-trick pony, the Arc has another purpose. Its re-entry and high maneuverability capabilities are also being leveraged for hypersonic testing, allowing it to realistically replicate next-generation threat trajectories and serve as an orbital testbed for various payloads.
The development of the Arc is based directly on the company's pathfinder mission, Ray. The smaller-scale Ray demonstrator most recently flew on a SpaceX Transporter 12 rideshare mission, which saw the craft launch successfully but failed to initiate re-entry due to a short circuit in the de-orbiting engine hardware.
On top of the Space Force contract, Inversion has since been able to raise an additional $44 million in Series A funding to scale up its operations and move toward the goal of deploying an operational constellation of Arc vehicles by 2028.
