Inversion Joins Kratos-Led $1.45 Billion Hypersonic Testing Program

Inversion, a California-based space technology company, has been selected by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to participate in the $1.45 billion Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) 2.0 program. The announcement marks a significant expansion of the program's industry team, aimed at accelerating the development and testing of hypersonic technologies for national defense.

"Inversion has been selected by @KratosDefense to join the $1.45B MACH-TB 2.0 hypersonic testing program," the company stated in a recent tweet. The MACH-TB 2.0 initiative, overseen by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)) Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), was established to rapidly increase hypersonic flight test capacity and transition innovative technologies to military applications.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions secured the prime contract for MACH-TB 2.0 Task Area 1, valued at up to $1.45 billion over five years, representing the largest contract in the company's history. This program is a critical component of OUSD’s National Hypersonic Initiative 2.0, designed to bridge the gap between ground-based testing and full-scale flight tests. Kratos is responsible for systems engineering, integration, and testing (SEIT) within the program.

Inversion, founded in 2021, specializes in developing autonomous re-entry vehicles for returning cargo and resources from space, with a vision to make space a transportation layer for Earth. The company recently raised $44 million in Series A funding in November 2024. Its expertise in re-entry technology and precision delivery from orbit aligns with the program's goals of advancing high-speed capabilities.

The Kratos-led team for MACH-TB 2.0 includes a diverse group of industry leaders such as Leidos, Rocket Lab, and Stratolaunch, alongside Inversion. Rocket Lab, for instance, has already been awarded a contract by Kratos to conduct a full-scale hypersonic test flight for the Department of Defense using its HASTE rocket, scheduled for no earlier than Q1 2026. This collaborative effort underscores the national push to enhance U.S. capabilities in the rapidly evolving field of hypersonics.