Synchronising The Moon: NASA Plans New Time Standard For Lunar Missions

US space agency NASA is gearing up to create a Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) to ensure precise timing for future missions on and around the Moon.

The move comes after a directive from the White House in April, with NASA’s Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) program leading the effort.

The creation of a lunar time system will involve NASA coordinating with US government agencies, international partners, and standards organisations.

The time standard will be based on a weighted average of atomic clocks placed on the Moon, similar to Earth's Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

However, initial studies have shown that clocks on the Moon’s surface will appear to tick slightly faster than those on Earth—by microseconds each day. This difference, though small, is significant in the context of space operations where accuracy is crucial.

“If someone is orbiting the Moon, an observer on Earth who isn’t compensating for the effects of relativity over a day would think that the orbiting astronaut is approximately 168 football fields away from where the astronaut really is," Gramling added.

As NASA prepares for long-term human exploration of the Moon through its Artemis programme, the establishment of LTC will be vital for ensuring mission safety and coordination.

The new system will also be designed to scale for future missions to Mars and other parts of the solar system, paving the way for long-duration space exploration.

"As the commercial space industry grows and more nations are active at the Moon, there is a greater need for time standardisation. A shared definition of time is an important part of safe, resilient, and sustainable operations,” said Ben Ashman, navigation lead for lunar relay development, part of NASA’s SCaN programme.

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