The White House directive comes amid a growing lunar race among nations and private companies.

The head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) instructed the space agency to work with other parts of the US government to devise a plan by the end of 2026,  in a memo seen by Reuters.

The setting would be called Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC). 

The differing gravitational force on the Moon and on other celestial bodies change how time unfolds relative to how it is perceived on Earth. 

The LTC would provide a time-keeping benchmark for lunar spacecraft and satellites that require extreme precision for their missions, NASA's space communications and navigation chief Kevin Coggins says. 

"The same clock that we have on Earth would move at a different rate on the Moon," Mr Coggins said. 

"Think of the atomic clocks at the US Naval Observatory [in Washington]. They're the heartbeat of the nation, synchronising everything," Mr Coggins said.

"You're going to want a heartbeat on the Moon."

Under its Artemis program, NASA is aiming to send astronaut missions to the Moon in the coming years and establish a scientific lunar base that could help set the stage for future missions to Mars.

Dozens of companies, spacecraft and countries are involved in the effort.

An OSTP official said without a unified lunar time standard it would be challenging to ensure the data that transfers between spacecraft are secure and that communications between Earth, lunar satellites, bases and astronauts are synchronised.

Discrepancies in time also could lead to errors in mapping and locating positions on or orbiting the Moon, the official said.

On Earth, most clocks and time zones are based on Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC.

This internationally recognised standard relies on a vast global network of atomic clocks placed in different locations around the world.

They measure changes in the state of atoms and generate an average that ultimately makes up a precise time.

Deployment of atomic clocks on the lunar surface may be needed, according to the OSTP official.

While the US is the only country to have put astronauts on the Moon, others have lunar ambitions.

Countries have their eyes on potential mineral resources on the Moon, and lunar bases could help support future crewed missions to Mars and elsewhere.

In 2023, China said it aims to put its first astronauts on the Moon by 2030.

In January, Japan became the fifth country to put a spacecraft on the Moon.

India last year became the first country to land a spacecraft near the unexplored lunar south pole, and it has announced plans to send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.

"US leadership in defining a suitable standard — one that achieves the accuracy and resilience required for operating in the challenging lunar environment — will benefit all space faring nations," the OSTP memo stated.

Defining how to implement Coordinated Lunar Time will require international agreements, the memo added.

Source | Reuters