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VIASPACE Subsidiary Ionfinity Demonstrates New System for Detecting Chemicals, Explosives, Toxic Gases and Drugs

Posted on: Monday, 15 June 2009, 09:56 CDT

Successfully Completes Key Step in Phase II Contracts with U.S. Army and U.S. Navy

IRVINE, Calif., June 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- VIASPACE Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: VSPC) a clean energy company with subsidiary operations in security-related systems and technology, announced that its subsidiary Ionfinity successfully completed a key step in two phase II contracts awarded by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy to develop and demonstrate a new detection and analysis system for identifying hazardous chemicals, explosives, industrial toxic gases, drugs and the chemical components of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

"Ionfinity teamed with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Imaginative Technologies, LLC and Sionex Corp. and successfully demonstrated a Differential Mobility Spectrometer (DMS)- based technology designed to detect and analyze hazardous chemicals, explosives, toxic gases and illegal drugs for U.S. Army and Navy applications as part of two Phase II STTR Programs they are sponsoring," reported Ionfinity Chairman, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Investigator James Weiss, who presided over a demonstration that showed the initial capabilities of the system. The Army, Navy and their guests were present at the demonstration. "I am not at liberty to say any more about the tests except that they were successful," added Weiss.

In August 2008 Ionfinity was awarded a $750,000 two-year, Phase II contract with the U.S. Army under its STTR program entitled "Advanced Robotic Detection of Chemical Agents, Toxic Industrial Gases, and IEDs for Force Health Protection." In 2008 Ionfinity was also awarded a $786,000 two-year, Phase II contract with the U.S. Navy under its STTR program entitled "Miniature Electronic Sniffer for Navy Vertical Take off Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (VTUAVs)."

According to Company information, the chemical-sensor system includes: 1) a powerful new detector called a Differential Mobility Spectrometer; 2) a non-radioactive ionization method that does not fragment or multiply-ionize sampled specimens; and 3) a micro-gas chromatograph for confirmation and enhanced detection capability. The system will detect chemicals at anywhere from parts-per-trillion (ppt) to parts-per-billion (ppb) levels within 6 seconds.

About VIASPACE Inc.

VIASPACE is a clean energy company providing products and technology for renewable and alternative energy that reduce or eliminate dependence on fossil and high-risk-pollutant energy sources. The Company provides raw material for cellulosic biofuels and develops and markets fuel cell cartridges, products and technology. VIASPACE subsidiary Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation owns a portfolio of fuel cell patents licensed from Pasadena-based California Institute of Technology (Caltech), which manages NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where the direct methanol fuel cell was invented. VIASPACE subsidiary Ionfinity has operations in security-related systems and technology for military, defense and commercial applications. For more information, please see http://www.viaspace.com/ or contact Dr. Jan Vandersande, Director of Communications, at 800-517-8050 or IR@VIASPACE.com.

Safe Harbor Statement: Information in this press release and interview includes forward-looking statements which relate to future events or future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation, risks outlined in our periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, as well as general economic and business conditions; changes in demand for the Company's products; competition from larger companies; technological change; and other factors over which VIASPACE has little or no control.

SOURCE VIASPACE Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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