Astrotech's 1st Detect Awarded Phase II of Next Generation Chemical Detection Solution

1 st Detect Corporation, a subsidiary of Astrotech (Nasdaq:ASTC), announced today that its breakthrough portable mass spectrometer technology has reached another milestone in the military’s three-phase, multi-year Next Generation Chemical Detector (NGCD) development program. Together with Battelle, 1 st Detect has officially entered the phase II test and evaluation process for its prototype Multi-Sample Identifier Detector (MSID) solution.

“Reaching this second phase of the NGCD project is a vote of confidence in the viability of 1 st Detect’s mass spectrometer detection solution. It provides us with an inimitable opportunity to refine the solution in a way that will meet the challenging needs of our military and effectively save lives,” explained Thomas B. Pickens III, CEO of Astrotech. "We are working in close collaboration with our key partner Battelle to validate and refine our joint detection solution, and we’ll continue to leverage their elaborate biological and chemical defense expertise to advance the solution to the final phase with the Government," he added.

The mass spectrometer instrument developed by 1 st Detect Corporation has revolutionized the chemical detection and analysis market by delivering lab performance mass spectrometry in a miniaturized, affordable and easily portable package. The 1 st Detect mass spectrometer is capable of detecting a wide variety of chemicals including residues and vapors from explosives, chemical warfare agents, toxic chemicals, food and beverage contaminants, and pollutants. These abilities make it an ideal tool for a variety of applications in the research, security, industrial, process flow and healthcare markets.

“We are pleased to see that the tremendous research and development efforts of our technical Program Team have proved successful, ultimately translating into technical detection solutions advanced enough to satisfy the extensive requirements and milestones set forth by our government,” stated Bob Kibler, CEO of 1 st Detect.