AUSTIN, Texas, May 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Astrotech Corporation (NASDAQ: ASTC) ("Astrotech" or the "Company"), a science and technology development company with operational spaceflight heritage, today announced that its Board of Directors has approved a strategic initiative focused on lunar resource development, autonomous lunar industrial infrastructure, and future Moon-based advanced computing and semiconductor manufacturing opportunities.
The initiative is intended to position Astrotech to evaluate emerging opportunities associated with NASA's Artemis Program, the Commercial Lunar Payload Services ("CLPS") program, and next-generation commercial lunar transportation systems.
Astrotech's initiative is expected to focus on four strategic lunar resource and infrastructure categories:
- Silicon and ultra-pure silicon-28 ("Si-28") for advanced semiconductor and quantum computing applications;
- Helium-3 ("3He") for potential quantum cooling and cryogenic infrastructure applications; and
- Platinum group metals ("PGMs") for potential terrestrial industrial applications.
- Water ice for potential propellant production and life-support infrastructure;
STRATEGIC FOCUS ON LUNAR-BASED QUANTUM COMPUTING INFRASTRUCTURE
As part of the initiative, Astrotech intends to evaluate and develop infrastructure technologies that could support future semiconductor processing, advanced computing systems, and quantum computing manufacturing operations on the lunar surface.
Astrotech believes the convergence of abundant solar energy, extreme lunar thermal conditions, reduced gravity, autonomous robotics, and access to strategic lunar materials such as Si-28 and 3He may ultimately make the Moon an attractive long-term platform for advanced computational infrastructure and next-generation quantum manufacturing systems.
Astrotech expects to evaluate infrastructure concepts supporting:
- lunar silicon purification and isotope processing;
- semiconductor wafer production;
- AI and high-performance computing infrastructure;
- ultra-low-temperature quantum cooling systems; and
- future quantum computing fabrication capabilities utilizing lunar-derived silicon-28.
"Quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and advanced semiconductor manufacturing are rapidly becoming strategic national security and economic priorities," said Tom Pickens, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Astrotech Corporation. "We believe the Moon may offer unique long-term value from regolith mining, quantum computing solutions, and autonomous manufacturing infrastructure . This Board-approved initiative provides Astrotech with a strategic framework to evaluate technologies, partnerships, and mission architectures that could support the development of a future lunar industrial economy."
BUILDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A LUNAR INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY
Astrotech intends to pursue technologies and partnerships supporting scalable lunar industrial infrastructure, including autonomous excavation systems, lunar mapping, water extraction systems, thermal processing facilities, sealed material-transfer systems, and autonomous process-control technologies.
Astrotech believes these capabilities may be important to future lunar operations involving resource extraction, in-situ processing, energy infrastructure, advanced materials production, and commercial lunar logistics.
LEVERAGING ASTROTECH'S SPACEFLIGHT HERITAGE
Astrotech's lunar initiative builds on a deep operational spaceflight legacy, including its SPACEHAB platform, which supported 24 missions across the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs, and Astrotech Space Operations, which supported more than 250 satellite launch-processing campaigns over more than two decades.
The Company believes this heritage provides an operational foundation for evaluating opportunities including engineering, technology requirements, manufacturing drawings and planning, solicitation of detailed quotes, cost analysis, procurement, prototype, NASA CLPS proposal, certification and licenses, for lunar infrastructure, autonomous systems, and energy generation.
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF SILICON-28 AND HELIUM-3
Astrotech believes ultra-pure Si-28 and 3He may become strategically important resources in the emerging quantum computing ecosystem. Si-28 is expected to play an important role in certain advanced semiconductor and quantum computing applications, and the 3He provides crucial cryogenic quantum cooling systems.
While Astrotech’s lunar resource and infrastructure initiative remains in an early evaluation and development phase, Astrotech believes its spaceflight heritage, technology-development capabilities, and expertise designing and manufacturing autonomous chemical processing systems, position the Company to pursue opportunities associated with the next phase of commercial lunar development.
ABOUT ASTROTECH CORPORATION
Astrotech Corporation (Nasdaq: ASTC) is an instrumentation company that creates, operates, and scales innovative businesses through its wholly owned subsidiaries. Each subsidiary leverages Astrotech’s core technology to serve specialized markets:
- 1st Detect develops, manufactures, and markets trace detection systems for security and narcotics screening.
- AgLAB designs process analyzers tailored to the processing of agriculture products.
- Pro-Control produces solutions for in-situ chemical process control for industrial manufacturing.
- EN-SCAN, Inc. delivers portable, ruggedized environmental GC-MS for on-site testing of air, water and soil.
Astrotech is currently evaluating opportunities to identify, develop, and commercialize advanced technologies with applications in space, defense, industrial, and related markets.
Astrotech is headquartered in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.astrotechcorp.com
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions within the meaning 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 statements may be identified by terms such as “aims,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “contemplates,” “continue,” “could,” “estimates,” “expect,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “possible,” “potential,” “predicts,” “preliminary,” “projects,” “seeks,” “should,” “targets,” “will” or “would,” or the negatives of these terms, variations of these terms or other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Astrotech's strategic lunar resource and infrastructure initiative; potential opportunities associated with lunar resource development, autonomous lunar infrastructure, semiconductor processing, silicon-28, helium-3, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, lunar transportation systems, NASA Artemis, CLPS, and commercial lunar programs; the Company's ability to evaluate, develop, commercialize, or partner around future lunar technologies; and the potential long-term development of Moon-based semiconductor, quantum computing, or industrial infrastructure.
Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections, as well as management's current beliefs and assumptions, and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the early-stage nature of the initiative; technical, engineering, regulatory, financial, operational, market, and commercial risks; the availability and cost of lunar transportation and launch services; the Company's ability to secure strategic partners, customers, government support, or financing; the uncertain timing and development of lunar resource markets; risks associated with autonomous lunar operations and advanced technology development; the adverse impact of inflationary pressures, including significant increases in fuel costs, global economic conditions and events related to these conditions, including the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the middle east, the Company’s use of proceeds from the common stock offerings, whether we can successfully complete the development of our new products and proprietary technologies, whether we can obtain the FDA and other regulatory approvals required to market our products under development in the United States or abroad, whether the market will accept our products and services and whether we are successful in identifying, completing and integrating acquisitions, as well as other risk factors and business considerations described in the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings including the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Any forward-looking statements in this document should be evaluated in light of these important risk factors. While we do not intend to directly harvest, manufacture, distribute or sell cannabis or cannabis products, we may be detrimentally affected by a change in enforcement by federal or state governments and we may be subject to additional risks in connection with the evolving regulatory area and associated uncertainties. Any such effects may give rise to risks and uncertainties that are currently unknown or amplify others mentioned herein. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable and are based on reasonable assumptions, no assurance can be given that these assumptions are accurate or that any of these expectations will be achieved (in full or at all) or will prove to have been correct. Moreover, such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied or expressed by the forward-looking statements. In addition, any forward- looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views only as of the date of its publication and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. The Company assumes no obligation to correct or update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
INVESTOR CONTACT
Matt Kreps
Managing Director, Darrow Associates
(214) 597-8200
[email protected]