The radio telescope designs sought by ASTRON differ from current designs, Desai said, because the new chips will allow the collection of much weaker radio signals than those collected today by scientists around the world.

"It's going to tell a better story" than possible now about the conditions in the universe when it was created some 13 billion years ago, Desai said. "It's the next step in research but it's a huge leap in the capabilities of what is being done today."

Scientists will also be able to use the next generation of radio telescopes to find out if new galaxies are forming where we can't see today, he said. "Those signals are an avenue to find out more," he said.

The antenna prototypes are due by next August, Desai said, with production pieces scheduled to be available by the end of 2007.

It will take another five to seven years for the larger-scale radio telescope projects, including the SKA and its prototype, to be built and put into service, he said.