Astrotech Completed Successful 1st Detect Demo with DHS and TSA Personnel

– To Demonstrate TRACER 1000 MS-ETD at Annual Meeting on December 7th
–

AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–$ASTC–Astrotech Corporation (NASDAQ: ASTC) is excited to announce that
– following a successful demonstration with Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
personnel – 1st Detect’s TRACER 1000 MS-ETD will be available
for demonstration at Astrotech’s annual meeting of shareholders, to be
held on Dec. 7, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. CT at the JW Marriott, 110 E. 2nd
St., Austin, TX.

The TRACER 1000 is a mass spectrometry-based explosives trace detector
(ETD), custom-developed for the TSA as an improvement over and
replacement for the ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) ETD systems
currently deployed at aviation checkpoints worldwide.

These antiquated IMS systems have many shortcomings – most notably their
limited library of detectable compounds, inability to adapt to emerging
threats, and significant false positive rates that extend security wait
times. The TRACER 1000 overcomes all of these shortcomings, and also
provides significant enhancements, including:

• Considerably expanded list of explosives, narcotics and other
  compounds of interest;
• Target library that can be instantaneously updated or expanded in the
  field without requiring hardware configuration changes;
• Near-zero false positive rates;
• Improved passenger satisfaction due to increased throughput at
  checkpoints; and
• Similar market cost to current IMS ETDs.

“We believe the TRACER 1000 will address the TSA’s current and future
ETD needs, and we are excited to begin testing with the Department of
Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Laboratory in the coming
weeks,” said Thomas B. Pickens III, CEO of 1st Detect and
Astrotech. “The TRACER 1000 will significantly augment airport security
by resolving the problems the TSA has with current IMS-based ETD
systems. The demonstration of the TRACER 1000 at our annual meeting will
showcase the results of years of investment, dedicated hard work, and
numerous technological breakthroughs to enhance our nation’s security.”

About Astrotech

Astrotech Corporation (NASDAQ: ASTC) is an innovative science and
technology company that invents, acquires, and commercializes
technological innovations sourced from research institutions,
laboratories, universities, and internally, and then funds, manages, and
builds proprietary, scalable start-up companies for profitable
divestiture to market leaders to maximize shareholder value. Sourced
from Oak Ridge Laboratory’s chemical analyzer research, 1st
Detect develops, manufactures, and sells chemical analyzers for
use in the security, defense, healthcare, food and beverage, and
environmental markets. Sourced from decades of image research from the
laboratories of IBM and Kodak, Astral
Images sells film-to-digital image enhancement, defect removal
and color correction software, and post processing services providing
economically feasible conversion of television and feature 35mm and 16mm
films to the new 4K ultra-high definition (UHD), high-dynamic range
(HDR) format necessary for the new generation of digital distribution.
Sourced from NASA’s extensive microgravity research, Astrogenetix
is applying a fast-track, on-orbit discovery platform using the
International Space Station to develop vaccines and other therapeutics.
Demonstrating its entrepreneurial strategy, Astrotech management sold
its state-of-the-art satellite servicing operations to Lockheed Martin
in August 2014. Astrotech has operations throughout Texas and is
headquartered in Austin. For information, please visit www.astrotechcorp.com.

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, whether we can
successfully develop our proprietary technologies and whether the market
will accept our 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.

Contacts

Company Contact:
Astrotech Corporation
Nicole Conser,
512-485-9530
Marketing Director
or
IR Contact:
LHA
Investor Relations
Cathy Mattison and Kirsten Chapman, 415-433-3777
[email protected]