Chinese engineers have activated the world’s most powerful centrifuge, capable of generating forces equivalent to 300 times Earth’s gravity.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the centrifuge, named CHIEF1300, is located in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province in eastern China, and was developed by experts at Zhejiang University.

The underground facility can lift loads of up to 20 tons and is equipped with a vacuum cooling system designed to minimize the effects of air resistance and heat, said chief engineer Lin Daosheng.

The centrifuge is intended to advance research in a range of fields, including resource extraction, disaster prevention and mitigation, underground waste disposal, and the development of new materials.