This miniature turbo/drag pump is about the size of a D-cell flashlight battery: it has a diameter of 3.4 cm and a length of 8 cm. It weighs only 130 grams, and can develop an ultimate pressure in the 10^-8 Torr range, while working against a foreline pressure as high as 10 Torr. The pumping speed is 4 L/s at a nominal rotational speed of 200,000 rpm. Substantial efforts were made to minimize power consumption, and the pump draws less than 2 W at foreline pressures of 1 Torr or less, and only 7 W at a 10 Torr foreline pressure.

Creare is currently developing a space-qualified pump as well as pumps specific for portable applications. For example, the space-qualified vacuum pump will support analytical instruments on interplanetary probes—including the search for life on Mars—and for atmospheric sampling instruments on balloons and high-altitude unmanned aircraft.