WASHINGTON: In light of the growing competition between public and commercial space enterprises, the White House said on Tuesday that it is ordering NASA to establish a single time standard for the Moon and other celestial bodies.
The US space agency was given instructions by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to develop a plan by the end of 2026 for a standard that it is dubbing Coordinated Lunar Time. The US is eager to establish international rules beyond Earth’s orbit.
“It’s critical that we set celestial time standards for safety and accuracy as NASA, commercial enterprises, and space agencies around the globe launch missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond,” OSTP Deputy Director for National Security Steve Welby stated in a statement.
He made the observation that “time passes differently” depending on one’s location in space, using the example of how time seems to move more slowly in areas with more gravity, as those close to celestial bodies.
According to Welby, “successful space situational awareness capabilities, navigation, and communications depend on operators having a common definition of time.”
Coordinated Lunar Time, or LTC, is intended to be linked to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is now the main time standard used globally to control Earth’s time, according to the White House.
The Department of Commerce, Defense, State, and Transportation, in collaboration with NASA, was instructed by the White House to develop a time-standardized plan that will enhance navigation and other operations, particularly for missions in cislunar space, or the area between Earth and the Moon.
