1st Detect Corp Announces OEM Agreement

1^st Detect Corporation, a subsidiary of Astrotech Corporation (ASTC) announced today that the company has entered into a strategic OEM agreement with RIGAKU Corporation of Tokyo, Japan. The 1^st Detect OEM-1000PI mass spectrometer has been integrated with RIGAKU's Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA) to offer a higher performance, smaller and more cost effective solution than what is currently available in today's world market.

1^st Detect and RIGAKU have co-developed the successful integration of our respective technologies and have now completed the development of a highly capable and very competitively Thermogravimetric Analyzer. The integrated instrument named Thermo iMS² is the world's first integrated TGA with MS/MS capabilities and is expected to be well received by the international research and development markets.

"We are extremely pleased to be working with RIGAKU, a world recognized leader in chemical analysis instrumentation. This agreement marks a significant milestone in both our corporate progress and is a major endorsement of 1^st Detect's miniature mass spectrometer technology," said Thomas B. Pickens III, Chairman and CEO of 1^st Detect.

The OEM-1000PI, is a mass spectrometer component that is based on 1^st Detect's revolutionary MMS-1000(TM) instrument, and was customized to integrate RIGAKU's stringent specifications including photo-ionization, atmospheric pressure sample introduction and a wider mass range than today's state of the art cylindrical ion trap mass spectrometry.

"We are proud to have had the opportunity to leverage our expertise in miniature mass spectrometry to provide a world-class chemical analyzer to RIGAKU," added David Rafferty, President & CTO of 1^st Detect, "by integrating our breakthrough technologies, RIGAKU is able to offer a TGA system that provides more performance, in a smaller instrument, than the competition."

1^st Detect Corporation has developed an instrument that revolutionizes the chemical detection and analysis market by delivering lab performance mass spectrometry in a small, fast and affordable instrument. The 1^st Detect mass spectrometer's broad capabilities make it an ideal tool for a variety of applications in the research, security, industrial, process flow and healthcare markets; and is capable of detecting a wide variety of chemicals including residues and vapors from plastics and polymers.

About 1^st Detect Corporation

1^st Detect Corporation was formed by Astrotech Corporation (ASTC) to develop and commercialize miniature mass spectrometer technology first developed under an agreement with NASA for use on the International Space Station. 1^st Detect offers a breakthrough miniature mass spectrometer that fills an unmet need by being highly accurate, rapid, lightweight, and affordable. For more information on 1^st Detect Corporation, please visit www.1stDetect.com.

About Astrotech Corporation

Astrotech is one of the first space commerce companies and remains a strong entrepreneurial force in the aerospace industry. We are leaders in identifying, developing and marketing space technology for commercial use. Our Astrotech Space Operations business unit serves our government and commercial satellite and spacecraft customers with pre-launch services on the eastern and western range. 1^st Detect Corporation has developed a breakthrough miniature mass spectrometer, while Astrogenetix, Inc. is a biotechnology company utilizing microgravity as a research platform for drug discovery and development.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, trends, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from the forward-looking statement. These factors include, but are not limited to, continued government support and funding for key space programs, product performance and market acceptance of products and services, as well as other risk factors and business considerations described in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings including the annual report on Form 10-K. Any forward-looking statements in this document should be evaluated in light of these important risk factors. The Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Joshua Elbaum
VP, Marketing
+1 (512) 485-9530
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