The Sky’s the Limit: Investing in Aerospace-Related Assets with a Self-Directed IRA

Published on March 10, 2026

Self-directed investors can take their retirement plans skyward with investments in aerospace-related assets.

Self-directed IRAs can include investments in the private space sector as well as defense technologies. With space infrastructure growing as a vital national security and economic priority (consider that the U.S. military now has a Space Force branch), investment opportunities abound in:

• satellites and missile-defense systems
• AI integration into space hardware and defense intelligence
• cybersecurity and data analytics
• companies involved in the research, manufacture or sale of products or services related to the defense or aerospace industries
• other aerospace and defense tech investments, such as dual-use technologies that have military and civilian applications

It’s no surprise that some savvy investors are looking at these alternative assets to build retirement portfolio diversity. Reuters reported that “investments in the sector hit record levels in ‌2025, with ‌private investment growing 48% to $12.4 billion, including $3.8 billion in the final quarter…” and Morgan Stanley’s Space Team (which tracks the space economy) estimates that the global space industry, currently estimated at around $350 billion, could skyrocket to over $1 trillion by 2040.

Self-directed investments in aerospace and defense

You needn’t be Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk to invest in the space sector. Anyone can access it through public stocks or aerospace and defense ETFs (exchange traded funds) on the stock exchange. However, self-directed investors have more opportunities to build portfolio diversity through private equity funding in pre-IPO aerospace companies, specialized platforms that focus on venture-backed defense tech startups, space infrastructure and hardware, and more. Here are more details:

• On-airport real estate – This asset class includes:
  1. Airplane hangar leases – Small local airfields and “executive” airports that service private jets have hangars that plane owners need. These big-box hangars are a class of real estate investment that, depending on the location and aircraft population, can reap rewards through short-term renting, long-term leasing, or eventual sale (for a profit, one hopes).
  2. Aviation infrastructure development companies. These entities build out “home basing” solutions for business aircraft as well as other on-airport facilities such as cargo warehouses, terminals, airfield systems, and parking garages and services such as property development, design and construction, and asset management.
• Satellite technology – There are many opportunities to invest in satellite technology that affects the consumer, government, and corporate sectors.
  1. Thousands of communications satellites orbit the earth every day to deliver cable TV, internet service, and more.
  2. Navigation satellites give us the GPS we rely on.
  3. Satellite imagery that monitors greenhouse gas emissions provides insights into climate change and guides renewable energy optimization; it also continues to reveal information about our solar system.
  4. Satellites are used in cartography, meteorology, environmental research, and disaster monitoring.
• Investment in private aerospace companies that operate in novel areas of the space ecosystem such as:
  1. rocket launch services
  2. private space stations
  3. specialized defense/space technology, companies that manufacture satellite hardware and ground equipment
  4. firms that leverage AI for defense applications such as autonomous systems
  5. companies that develop data-driven and secure platforms for national security (cybersecurity, data analytics)

• Venture capital and private equity investments in firms that back startups and early-stage innovators in the aerospace industry. Some of the assets being backed by investor capital are satellite networks, launch vehicles, reusable rockets, research & development, AI-powered climate and Earth monitoring systems, and orbital servicing platforms.

Given the many governmental/public applications of space and defense technology, investors are wise to research all governmental regulations thoroughly before choosing an aerospace-related investment. As with any self-directed investment, due diligence is the watchword for any private placements or private equity firms under consideration as well.

Whether you are interested in more earthbound assets or have Star Trek’s “final frontier” in mind, the team at Next Generation Trust Services is here to help. Contact us with your questions about self-directed IRAs and other plans that can be self-directed, sign up for our newsletter, watch a webinar, or call our office at 888-857-8058. Want to send a text? That number is 848-233-4076.