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Chinese scientists have launched a groundbreaking research facility valued at $276.5 million, capable of generating gravity up to 1,900 times stronger than that of Earth.
Located in Future Sci-Tech City, Hangzhou, the Centrifugal Hypergravity and Interdisciplinary Experiment Facility (CHIEF) began construction in 2020 and now boasts one of the world's most advanced centrifuges. This massive machine—claimed to be the largest of its kind—can effectively "compress" time and space, making it possible to explore complex scientific and engineering phenomena.
Approved by China’s national government in 2018, the facility consists of six hypergravity chambers designed to support a broad range of research, including dam and slope stability, seismic geotechnics, deep-sea and subterranean engineering, and geological processes.
At the heart of CHIEF is a giant rotating arm, or centrifuge, that creates artificial gravity by spinning at high speeds. This allows scientists to simulate intense gravitational forces far beyond the Earth's natural 1G. Such technology could prove critical for future space missions, particularly for long-distance travel like Mars expeditions, where NASA has said artificial gravity could be key to astronaut survival.
The high-speed spinning arm allows payloads to be exposed to extreme forces, which is useful for testing the durability of spacecraft materials under various conditions, including those found in orbit. It also provides new opportunities for studying Earth systems such as mountain formation and dam-related flood behavior.
Professor Chen Yunmin from Zhejiang University, which led the CHIEF initiative, explained that the facility allows scientists to simulate and observe environmental processes that would normally take thousands of years—such as the migration of pollutants—within a compressed timeframe.
According to New Atlas, CHIEF’s centrifuge system can handle up to 1,900 g-t (gravity acceleration × tons), with a payload capacity of 32 tons. This far exceeds the capabilities of similar facilities, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ centrifuge, which can only manage up to 1,200 g-t.
For context, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland once operated one of the world’s leading centrifuges. About a decade ago, its system could accelerate a 2.5-ton payload up to 30G, with a 140-foot diameter and top rotational speed of 156 mph (250 km/h). By comparison, CHIEF offers significantly higher capacity, although exact measurements of its main centrifuges have not been publicly disclosed.
The Hangzhou city government has confirmed that the initial phase of commissioning CHIEF is proceeding as scheduled and is expected to begin operations within the year.