NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) recently sent a letter of thanks to Hittite Microwave Corporation, a Massachusetts-based company founded by Dr. Yalcin Ayasli, for its efforts in supporting the lunar-orbiting Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) projects. According to the letter, "Both projects could not have been successful without Hittite's production and quality teams."

Thanks in part to Hittite Microwave's state-of-the-art technology, GRAIL will provide scientists with the most accurate gravitational map of the moon to date. This map will further understanding of the moon's inner structure and could shed light on the early development of our solar system.

The MSL project, NASA's first astrobiology mission since the 1970s, recently took an enormous leap forward in planetary exploration with the landing of its six-wheeled Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars. The landing and ongoing data collection are engineering marvels that could tell us whether life was ever possible on the red planet. In its kind closing, the letter encouraged the company to "take pride in knowing that Hittite hardware now resides on the surface of Mars.

Dr. Ayasli founded Hittite Microwave in 1985. Employing 350 highly skilled employees in Massachusetts and Colorado, it is an industry leader in the design and development of high performance integrated circuits (ICs), modules, subsystems, and instrumentation products.