In the latest experiment, China’s artificial sun ran for 20 minutes at 70 million degrees, indicating 5 times hotter than the natural sun, The Sun reported

The artificial sun which was designed and developed by Chinese government, has been experimental specimen for more than 10,000 scientists around the world to carry out fusion-related experiments since 2006.

Scientists expect that through the imitation of the natural reaction of the sun, the machine will assist to harness the power of the nuclear fusion  that will produce “unlimited clean energy.”

Xinhua News Agency reported that researchers have been busy running tests at the Experiential Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), a nuclear fusion reactor facility, to make its auxiliary heating system more “hot” and “durable.”

The machine is called an “artificial sun” because it mimics the nuclear fusion reaction that powers the natural  sun – which uses hydrogen and deuterium gases as fuel.

Researchers managed to run the “artificial sun” at 70 million degrees for as long as 1,056 seconds, or 17 minutes, 36 seconds, South China Morning Post reports.

Gong Xianzu, a researcher at the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, while speaking with Xinhua said: “The recent operation lays a solid scientific and experimental foundation towards the running of a fusion reactor.”

The latest experiment, which commenced in early December, will last till June 2021.

Institute of Plasma Physics director Song Yuntao said: “The experiment once again challenged the world record.

“We have comprehensively validated the technology, driving it a major step forward from basic research to engineering applications.”

In May, EAST achieved another milestone, running at a plasma – or hot gas – temperature of 120 million degrees for 101 seconds.

Song Yuntao, deputy director of the Institute of Plasma Physics at the Hefei Institute of Physical Science, said he hopes to generate power by 2040.

He said: “Five years from now, we will start to build our fusion reactor, which will need another 10 years of construction.

“After that is built we will construct the power generator and start generating power by around 2040.”

What You Need to Know About China’s Artificial Sun

• The sun is designed and developed by China at the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST)
• The project started since 2006
• Chinese government has already spent £701 million on the project.
• The artificial sun hits temperature 70 million degrees, which is 5 times real sun temperature of 15 million degrees at its core.
• More than 10,000 Chinese and foreign scientific researchers have worked together to bring to life the “artificial sun”.
• The artificial sun is expected to generate “unlimited clean energy “ which EAST says it is expected to begin by 2040