Astrotech Unit Gets Patent

Astrotech shares were higher nearly 3% on Thursday after the aerospace company said its subsidiary 1st Detect has received a patent for increasing the performance of the its ion trap mass spectrometer used for chemical analysis and detection. ASTC is trading in the lower half of the 52-week range between $2.02 and $4.59.

The company said that applications for this patent will allow it to target markets traditionally not addressable by miniature mass spectrometers including airports and the military, as well as pharmaceutical and beverage quality control.

1st Detect said the unit 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 capabilities makes it applicable in the research, security, industrial, process flow and healthcare markets.