A prototype of this motor was displayed by the students of Sona College of Technology to ISRO scientists at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VVSC) and ISRO's inertial systems unit (IISU) at Thiruvanthapuram.

The first motor, which will be placed in the rocket nozzle for controlling its direction, is a 32 newton metre, 1000 rotations per minute quadruplex brushless DC torque motor, Director of Sona Special Power Electronics and Electric Drives (SSPEED) said.

The second, for controlling the rotation of the panels in a satellite, is a 2 newton metre, 50 rotations per minute slotless brushless DC motor. It will be used in the scan mechanism of microwave analysis detection of rain and atmospheric structures for the Megha Tropiques Spacecraft.

ISRO's inertial systems unit needed 'cog free' motors to enhance the performance of precision scanning mechanisms in spacecraft and SSPEED had met all the required parameters, he said.

Prof Kannan said this was a "unique" achievement by an institution, which designed and developed an aerospace quality component for actual use in ISRO's satellites and rockets. "This would save precious foreign exchange and provide valuable technical know how," he said.

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