Electrification specialist Equipmake has unveiled an ultra-lightweight, power-dense electric motor, designed for space, aerospace and marine applications.

The HPM-400 is a short-duration motor that was originally specified as a rocket fuel pump for Australian company Gilmour Space Technologies, for use in its Eris rocket programme.

It has a maximum motor speed of 20,000 rpm and peak power/torque of 400 kW/250 Nm. It has a mass of 30 kg, for the motor only, and comes with an integrated SiC inverter, which weighs 10 kg. 

The motor has been designed to withstand pressure from within when it goes from atmosphere into a vacuum. That has resulted in a cylindrical package with a carbon fibre shell to keep pressure in and weight down.