China has built a research facility that simulates the low-gravity environment on the moon – and it was inspired by experiments using magnets to levitate a frog.

The facility could provide valuable research for China's lunar exploration activities, according to scientists involved in the project. Located in the eastern city of Xuzhou, in Jiangsu province, the simulator is expected to be officially launched in the coming months.

Lead scientist Li Ruilin, from the China University of Mining and Technology, said it was the "first of its kind in the world" and would take lunar simulation to a whole new level.