Produced by: Manoj Kumar
NASA, under White House orders, is crafting Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC)—the Moon’s first official time zone to guide missions, navigation, and exploration.
Representative pic
Due to weaker gravity, lunar clocks tick 58.7 microseconds faster daily, posing high-stakes challenges for NASA’s precision-driven space missions.
Representative pic
NASA’s Kevin Coggins compares atomic clocks to a nation’s heartbeat—stressing the need for a Moon-based pulse to synchronize critical operations.
Representative pic
In spaceflight, even microsecond drifts can cause catastrophic positioning errors—making synchronized lunar time crucial for safe navigation and communication.
Representative pic
The Celestial Time Standardization Act mandates NASA to launch LTC before 2026, aligning lunar time with UTC but correcting for lunar conditions.
LTC will use Moon-based atomic clocks, likely in orbit and on the surface, averaging signals to counter relativity-induced time drifts.
Representative pic
With Artemis missions set to return astronauts to the Moon, LTC becomes the essential clock enabling smooth interplanetary logistics and survival.
Representative pic
LTC isn’t just for the Moon—NASA plans to use it as the blueprint for future Mars and deep space timekeeping systems.
NASA is collaborating with space agencies, private firms, and scientists worldwide to ensure that everyone exploring the Moon ticks to the same rhythm.
Representative pic