After China’s artificial Sun reached temperatures five times hotter than the Sun, China is ready with its first artificial moon. Scientists have built an “artificial moon” research facility. The facility will help them in conducting low-gravity environments using magnetism.

Artificial moon research facility

The artificial moon research facility is scheduled for official launch in the year 2022. It will use powerful magnetic fields inside a vacuum chamber of 2-foot-diameter, for making gravity disappear. To develop this research facility, scientists were inspired by a previous experiment, in which magnets were used to levitate a frog.

How will this facility mimic moon’s surface?

The research facility will be filled with rocks and dust to resemble it with the lunar surface.

Features of the research facility

It is first of its kind research facility in the world. It is capable of maintaining low-gravity conditions for as long as scientists want.

What is the use of this facility?

Scientists have planned to use this facility to test technology in prolonged low-gravity environments, before sending it to the moon, where gravity is one-sixth of Earth’s gravity. This experiment will help scientists to resolve technical issues and test whether some structures will survive on the moon’s surface. It will also help in assess viability of human settlement on the moon.