China has activated the world's most advanced hypergravity machine, aiming to deepen scientific understanding.

The system, featuring the largest hypergravity centrifuge, will be able to produce forces thousands of times stronger than Earth's gravity.

The Centrifugal Hypergravity and Interdisciplinary Experiment Facility (CHIEF) is located in Hangzhou, the capital of eastern China’s Zhejiang province.

Once fully operational, it will serve as a multidisciplinary platform to address complex engineering challenges. According to a Chinese online media outlet, Hangzhou’s government hailed its preliminary completion as a milestone in advancing hypergravity research.

"CHIEF will fill a void in super-large hyper-gravity experiment facilities in China. As an indispensable experimentation device, it will provide an advanced experiment platform and offer immense support for the development and verification of major engineering technologies as well as research into cutting-edge matter-related sciences," said Hangzhou’s government, in a statement earlier.

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Furthering gravity research

Approved in 2018 by China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), CHIEF began construction in 2020 under Zhejiang University’s guidance.

The facility will house three primary hypergravity centrifuges and 18 onboard units. These centrifuges, machines designed to spin containers rapidly, force heavier materials to the edges or bottom by creating hypergravity conditions, as reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

The first centrifuge’s main engine, resembling two massive arms holding experimental baskets, has been installed. According to the Hangzhou government, the fabrication of the remaining two centrifuges and 10 onboard units is underway.

Hypergravity refers to forces greater than Earth’s standard gravity, or 1g. For context, astronauts re-entering Earth’s atmosphere in spacecraft experience hypergravity at 4g, equivalent to four times their body weight.

CHIEF’s hypergravity centrifuges are considered groundbreaking tools for creating extreme physical conditions not typically encountered in everyday environments.

These capabilities are expected to advance research across multiple disciplines, enabling scientists to simulate and analyze phenomena such as geological processes, material behaviors, and engineering challenges.

Future science hub

In 2019, Zhejiang University highlighted the proposal and design of the Centrifugal Hypergravity and Interdisciplinary Experiment Facility (CHIEF), emphasizing its potential to accelerate scientific research.

Led by Chen Yunmin, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the facility aims to simulate extreme conditions to tackle complex physics problems and support diverse engineering applications.

CHIEF will surpass the capabilities of the US Army Corps of Engineers’ hypergravity facility, which has a capacity of 1,200 g-t (gravity acceleration × tonne). Once completed, CHIEF will feature a capacity of 1,900 g-t, making it the most advanced facility of its kind.

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The project includes six hypergravity experiment chambers, each dedicated to a specific area, such as slope and dam engineering, seismic geotechnics, deep-sea exploration, deep-earth studies, geological processes, and materials processing.

In deep-sea engineering, CHIEF will support research into natural gas hydrates, a potential clean energy source found in seabeds and beneath permafrost. By replicating and optimizing extraction processes, scientists aim to minimize risks and improve efficiency in harnessing this abundant resource.

CHIEF is listed in China’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2016–2020) as one of ten key scientific infrastructures. It represents a major national investment of over 2 billion yuan (US$276.5 million).

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