Moon to Get Its Own Time Zone as Countries Plan to Establish Permanent Lunar Bases
The Moon is to receive its own time zone as plans to develop permanent living bases on the lunar surface quickly progress. The White House has reportedly directed Nasa to create a standard Moon time for all nations, following a similar proposal by the European Space Agency (ESA) last year. Space-faring nations currently use their own time zones when performing lunar missions. But scientists have warned that this won’t be sustainable in a future where humans are establishing permanent living quarters – let alone when grand plans for a lunar railway network unfold.
Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) by 2026
An internal memo, reported by Reuters, has revealed plans for a Nasa-led Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) to be in place by the end of 2026. Without a universal lunar time zone, it will be all the more challenging to ensure data transfers between spacecraft, or Earth and the Moon, are accurate, the memo states. It’s important that all communications between Earth, lunar satellites, bases and astronauts are synchronized, especially where commercial activities are involved.
Creating a Precise Lunar Time Zone with Atomic Clocks
While different countries have their own time zones – and often more than one depending on the time of year – most are based on Coordinated Universal Time or UCT. This relies on a global network of atomic clocks that measure changes in the state of atoms to come to a precise time. The memo also suggests deploying atomic clocks at different locations around the Moon to build a precise lunar time zone.
Boots on the Moon
Nasa is currently targeting September 2026 for its Artemis III mission, the first human assignment on the Moon since Apollo 17. While Nasa’s Artemis programme brings the White House several steps closer to securing a permanent base on the Moon, it may not be alone on the lunar surface. Like the US, China has its own plans for a lunar research facility. China is aiming to establish its Disneyland-sized International Lunar Research Base (ILRS) no earlier than 2028. China is adamant that its intentions for ILRS are to collect samples and carry out “scientific exploration”.DECLARE_TAG_0 Although Nelson says China’s military presence in the South China Sea signals how the country might behave on the lunar surface.