China will soon introduce an "artificial moon" that will have the same gravity and atmosphere as the Earth's satellite.
China is building a research center in the city of Shuzhou, where a moon-like atmosphere will be created.
It will be the first research institute of its kind to use a magnet to create a moon-like environment.
Inside the center, a vacuum chamber will be the home of a small 'moon' where rocks like the surface of the moon will be present.
Li Rivlin, a scientist at the China University of Mining and Technology, said the center would strengthen China's space projects and help experts explore a variety of things, such as building infrastructure on the moon.
China is spending billions of dollars on space programs and has launched several missions, such as launching the world's first mission to the dark side of the moon and successfully reaching the first mission to Mars in 2021.
China has also announced plans to build a joint research center on the moon with Russia in 2021, and plans to send astronauts to the moon by 2030.
So Chinese scientists expect the artificial moon to play a key role in future missions to the moon, while allowing astronauts to prepare for less gravity.
Lee Revlin said it would also help determine if 3D printing was possible on the moon's surface before expensive and heavy machinery was delivered.
"Some experiments in a lunar-like environment will also give us some important clues, such as where to look for water trapped inside the lunar surface," he said.
But scientists still need to develop a number of technologies to meet the challenge of magnetic attraction in a room that is being prepared for an environment like the moon.
