CHINA – On Monday, China launched the world’s largest centrifuge by capacity that’s capable of generating 300 times Earth’s gravity and accommodate loads of up to 20 tons (40,000 pounds).

World's largest centrifuge by China - The State Signal

The machine, coded CHIEF1300, is a key component of the Centrifugal Hypergravity and Interdisciplinary Experiment Facility (CHIEF) currently under construction in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province.

China's centrifuge, the largest in the world - The State Signal

It can be utilized for the research of deep-ocean and deep-Earth for resources extraction, disaster mitigation and prevention, underground waste disposal, and the synthesis of new materials.

Centrifuge Launch in China, Largest in the World - The State Signal

Developed by Zhejiang University, CHIEF possesses three centrifuges and 18 in-flight devices supporting six experimental cabins, and two more centrifuges with even greater capacity are under construction.

Largest Centrifuge Launch in China - The State Signal

In the CHIEF1300 machine hall, a giant arm with a 6.4-meter (nearly 21 foot) radius spins at high speeds to create extreme gravity through centrifugal force. The faster it spins, the greater the acceleration.

The device is engineered to sustain accelerations of up to 1,500G.

Pilot tests have already produced significant results. Researchers simulated strong earthquakes to assess the seismic performance of a hydropower dam foundation and studied the impact of a 4-meter (nearly 13.1 foot) wave and a 20-meter (nearly 65.6 foot) tsunami on the seabed to guide offshore wind farm site selection.

World's Largest Centrifuge in China - The State Signal

They also recreated 2,000-meter (nearly 1.2 miles) deep sea pressure to evaluate methane hydrate extraction and safety, and developed metal alloys with fewer defects and improved strength and ductility.