Asset Class Partners with NASA to Power First Alternative Investment Transaction in Deep Space
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2026
[NEW YORK, NY & KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL]
Announcement
Asset Class, the leading technology platform for alternative investment document management and fund operations, today announced a landmark partnership with NASA that will see the world’s first alternative investment subscription completed beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
As the Artemis II crew departs Kennedy Space Center this morning on humanity’s first crewed lunar mission since 1972, Commander Reid Wiseman will become the first person in history to execute a private fund subscription agreement while travelling to the Moon. powered entirely by the Asset Class platform.
The transaction, a commitment into a closed-end infrastructure fund, will be digitally signed approximately 238,855 miles from the nearest relationship manager, setting a new record for the farthest alternative investment ever executed.
A Small Step for Compliance, a Giant Leap for Capital Markets
The milestone reflects a broader push within the alternatives industry to remove friction from the subscription and onboarding process. Asset Class has long argued that the administrative burden associated with alternative fund investing, paper-based subscription documents, manual KYC workflows, and multi-week onboarding cycles is an obstacle that belongs firmly in the past. Or, as of today, in low Earth orbit.
The Asset Class platform, which already processes billions of dollars in alternative investment commitments annually for institutional investors, family offices, and wealth managers across more than 40 countries, has been certified for use aboard the Orion spacecraft following an undisclosed integration effort with NASA’s communications infrastructure, including the agency’s Deep Space Network.
Latency, the platform’s engineering team noted in a technical briefing, presented some unique challenges.
“Typical API response times on Earth are measured in milliseconds,” said a senior engineer at Asset Class. “At lunar distance, we’re working with a round-trip signal delay of roughly 2.6 seconds. Our UI/UX team had to have a serious conversation about the loading spinner.”
Executive Commentary
Ferdinand Roberts, CEO of Asset Class, commented:
“This is, without question, the most significant moment in the history of alternative investment operations, and I say that having sat through a remarkable number of fund administrator conferences. What we’re demonstrating today is that the Asset Class platform is not constrained by geography, by time zone, or, as it turns out, by the bounds of our solar system’s inner planets. Investors have always said they want a seamless digital experience. Commander Wiseman is about to find out just how seamless we’ve made it. We’re proud to support NASA’s mission, and even prouder to finally have an answer to the question of whether our platform is ‘scalable’.”
Dr. Patricia Holloway, Deputy Director of Commercial Innovation Partnerships at NASA, added:
“NASA has always believed in pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and today’s mission is no different. The Artemis programme is not only about returning humans to the Moon, it’s about building the infrastructure, both physical and financial, for a sustained human presence beyond Earth. Partnering with Asset Class on this initiative reflects our conviction that the commercial ecosystem supporting deep space exploration must be as sophisticated as the engineering that gets us there. Also, Commander Wiseman has been very patient about the paperwork.”
Transaction Details
The subscription will be executed during the translunar injection phase of the mission, approximately four hours after launch, as the Orion spacecraft breaks from Earth orbit.
The fund, whose name remains confidential pending final close, is understood to be a mid-market infrastructure vehicle focused on next-generation communications and energy assets, a category that, the investment team noted, takes on a somewhat literal meaning when your anchor investor is circling the Moon.
All standard KYC, AML, and suitability documentation has been completed in advance, in accordance with both FCA guidelines and what NASA describes in its internal documentation as “pre-mission administrative clearance protocols.” The wet-ink requirement traditionally associated with certain jurisdictions was, by mutual agreement, waived.
About Asset Class
Asset Class is the alternative investment industry’s leading platform for fund subscription, onboarding, and document management. Trusted by asset managers, fund administrators, and institutional investors worldwide, Asset Class digitises and streamlines the end-to-end process of investing in private markets, from initial investor onboarding through to ongoing lifecycle management.
The company is headquartered in London and serves clients across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and, effective today, cislunar space.
For more information, visit www.assetclass.com or contact press@assetclass.com.
Media Enquiries
press@assetclass.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements regarding events taking place in space. Asset Class makes no warranty, express or implied, as to the gravitational conditions under which its platform may be accessed. Past performance is not a guide to future returns. Investments in alternative assets carry risk. Investments in alternative assets executed at a distance of 238,855 miles carry slightly more paperwork.
