Following a White House directive issued in April, NASA’s Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) program announced that it’s working to develop a unified time system for the Moon. Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) will function similarly to Earth’s Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) but will account for the Moon’s unique gravitational environment.
Establishing LTC is essential as NASA and its international partners prepare for sustained lunar exploration under the Artemis program, aiming to land astronauts on the Moon by 2026. The time system will be vital for coordinating various lunar activities, including communication, navigation, and scientific experiments.
According to Javier Ventura-Traveset of the European Space Agency (ESA), “the existence of a common time reference” is foundational for lunar operations, especially as multiple space agencies plan to establish infrastructure on the Moon.
However, creating a lunar time zone poses challenges, particularly due to the effects of Einstein’s relativity theories. Atomic clocks on the Moon tick faster than those on Earth by about 56 microseconds per day, making precise synchronization critical for space missions.
NASA’s Cheryl Gramling explained that this slight discrepancy could significantly affect spacecraft operations, with miscalculations potentially shifting the perceived position of lunar astronauts by hundreds of meters.
“For something traveling at the speed of light, 56 microseconds is enough time to travel the distance of approximately 168 football fields,” Gramling said in a statement.
LTC is also seen as a stepping stone for future exploration of Mars and other celestial bodies. NASA aims to have a strategy for LTC in place by the White House deadline of December 31, 2026, ensuring that the system is ready as lunar exploration intensifies.
