Tick Tock on the Moon: U.S. to Develop Lunar Standard Time

White House orders NASA to establish standard time
Advancing exploration and excavation with lunar standard time
White House: “Need a talk with nations of Artemis Accords”

As the race for moon exploration among space development superpowers accelerates, the U.S. is set to establish a lunar standard time. With the introduction of the standard time, all figures, standards, and dynamics calculated based on Earth are expected to become more precise. It will even be possible to gauge the actual speed of the lunar explorers.

Reuters reported on the 2nd (local time) that “the White House has ordered NASA and others to create a unified standard time for the moon and other celestial bodies by 2026.”

According to related reports, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) stated, “It may be necessary to place atomic clocks on the lunar surface for the lunar standard time.”

Lunar standard time is called Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) and is aligned with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the world standard time. It will provide a time standard for lunar explorers and satellites, where extreme precision is required.

If you bring a clock used on Earth to the lunar surface, the clock could slow down by 58.7 microseconds (one-millionth of a second) every day. This is because the passage of time differs on the moon and other celestial bodies due to differences in gravity compared to Earth.

The White House stated that an international consensus through existing international organizations and the Artemis Accords is necessary to define lunar standard time. Although 36 countries participate in the Artemis Accords, China and Russia are not participating.