Honeywell announced today that the space industry's first radiation hardened electronic component for communication systems, which improves the speed of serial data communication fifty-fold over existing space electronics, has been selected to upgrade communication systems on the International Space Station. It will be launched on NASA's space shuttle in August 2010.

"Honeywell's Quad Redundant Serializer / Deserializer (SERDES) standard product is an industry first, providing commercial and military space satellite operators with faster, more reliable data communications," said Dave Douglass, Honeywell vice president, Space.

"This is the first multi-channel SERDES device for severe radiation environments, and will allow satellite manufacturers to significantly increase system network capacity."

Honeywell's SERDES capability can be embedded into an HX5000 Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or used as a standalone component in a system built by an electronics integrator. It allows significantly higher communication rates, up to 3.125 gigabytes per second per channel.

Honeywell has achieved production upgrade of the SERDES standard product - which is available for flight program use today - and submitted the requirements to obtain a Qualified Manufacturers Listing (QML).

Benefits from the Quad Redundant SERDES Transceiver include much higher data throughput while dramatically reducing power, board and cable routing and system complexity.

SEAKR Engineering selected Honeywell's product for use in their program to upgrade communication system on the International Space Station.

Honeywell's SERDES offers the space community the highest performance communication link that meets the rad hard needs of the both commercial and military systems. It meets the increasing demands for high speed communications in space.