AUSTIN, Texas, May 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EN-SCAN, Inc. (“EN-SCAN”), a subsidiary of Astrotech Corporation (NASDAQ: ASTC) (the “Company” or “Astrotech”), today announced the commercial launch of the Labrador HH-GC, a rugged, field-portable gas chromatograph engineered to bring laboratory-grade volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis directly to the point of investigation. As environmental regulations tighten and remediation timelines compress, environmental consulting firms and industrial operators are under increasing pressure to identify contamination faster, reduce laboratory delays, and make defensible site decisions in real time. Designed specifically for environmental consulting, remediation, industrial hygiene, and regulatory response applications, the Labrador HH-GC delivers rapid on-site detection of VOCs at parts-per-billion (ppb) sensitivity across air, water, and soil matrices — reducing the delay, uncertainty, and cost associated with traditional off-site laboratory workflows.
“The environmental industry has operated for decades with a critical bottleneck: field teams collect samples, then wait days for laboratory data before making major remediation or compliance decisions,” said Thomas B. Pickens III, Chairman and CEO of Astrotech Corporation and EN-SCAN. “The Labrador HH-GC changes that workflow by placing actionable analytical intelligence directly into the hands of field operators, which we believe will enable faster decisions, accelerated remediation timelines, and considerably improved operational efficiency.”
Transforming Environmental Site Investigation
Environmental remediation and compliance programs frequently depend on laboratory turnaround times that can delay project execution, increase holding costs, and limit the ability to dynamically respond to changing site conditions. Based on internal tests, we believe the Labrador HH-GC reduces that delay by producing analytical results in as little as three minutes directly on-site, allowing operators to immediately identify contamination hotspots, refine sampling plans, and optimize remediation strategies in real time.
The platform utilizes advanced gas chromatography paired with a high-sensitivity Photoionization Detector (PID) capable of detecting VOCs at ppb concentrations. A single instrument supports testing across multiple environmental media, reducing equipment complexity while expanding field capability.
Key target applications include:
- Site remediation and contamination delineation
- BTEX detection and monitoring
- Vapor intrusion investigations
- Industrial hygiene and worker exposure monitoring
- Brownfield redevelopment projects
- Emergency environmental response
- Groundwater and surface water screening
- Real-time field verification during remediation activities
Built for Field Operators, Not Laboratory Scientists
Unlike traditional laboratory instrumentation requiring highly specialized operators, the Labrador HH-GC is designed for rapid deployment in real-world field conditions. The system combines rugged portability with simplified workflows and an intuitive operator interface, enabling consulting teams and remediation crews to become operational with quicker training.
To support customer deployment, EN-SCAN provides:
- On-site and remote operator training
- Method development support
- Calibration and maintenance services
- Workflow integration assistance
- Ongoing technical support
All instruments include a one-year warranty and service support designed to minimize operational downtime.
Positioned at the Intersection of Regulation and Real-Time Intelligence
Demand for field-deployable analytical technologies continues to rise as federal and state regulators increase scrutiny surrounding VOC emissions, contaminated site management, industrial exposure, and environmental reporting requirements. Environmental firms are increasingly seeking technologies capable of reducing laboratory dependency while improving responsiveness and documentation quality.
The Labrador HH-GC positions EN-SCAN to address this growing market demand by combining:
- Rapid field analytics
- Laboratory-grade sensitivity
- Multi-matrix environmental testing
- Reduced remediation cycle times
- Lower project costs
- Improved operational agility
The instrument is available immediately for evaluation and deployment by environmental consulting firms, remediation contractors, industrial operators, and government response teams.
About EN-SCAN
Based in Austin, Texas, EN-SCAN develops advanced environmental testing and monitoring technologies utilizing proprietary gas chromatography and mass spectrometry platforms engineered for rugged, portable operation. EN-SCAN solutions support industrial, environmental, regulatory, and field-based analytical applications requiring rapid, high-confidence chemical analysis outside of traditional laboratory settings.
EN-SCAN is a subsidiary of Astrotech Corporation (NASDAQ: ASTC).
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 in industrial manufacturing.
- EN-SCAN, Inc. delivers portable, ruggedized environmental GC-MS for on-site testing of air, water and soil.
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 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 factors include, but are not limited to, 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 efficacy of the products we develop, including the Labrador HH-GC, 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]