Lunar time: NASA was asked to create a time standard for a lunar clock

Washington: The White House ordered NASA to establish a unified weather standard for the Moon and other celestial bodies, as the United States seeks to establish international rules in space amid a growing moon race between nations and private companies.

The head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, according to a memo seen by Reuters, ordered the space agency to work with other parts of the US government to design a plan by the end of 2026 to establish what he called a Coordination. Lunar Time (LTC).

Different gravitational forces, and potentially other factors, on the Moon and other celestial bodies change the way time unfolds relative to how it is perceived on Earth. Among other things, the LTC would provide a reference point for timing spacecraft and lunar satellites that require extreme precision for their missions.

“The same clock we have on Earth would move at a different rate on the Moon,” Kevin Coggins, NASA’s head of space navigation and communications, said in an interview.