Vitesse Semiconductor Delivers Chip to NASA

Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. of Camarillo has delivered the first working prototypes of its telemetry frame synchronizer chip to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

The chip, based on Vitesse’s gallium arsenide semiconductor technology, was chosen by the space agency over competing silicon devices, the company reported. A spokesman said the latest version of the chip can process up to 300 million data bits per second, using less power than silicon chips.

The chip is also being used to upgrade NASA’s space-to-ground data relay station at White Sands, N.M., the spokesman added. Vitesse is offering similar products in the commercial semiconductor market.