Countries gear up to create lunar standard time amid global race on Moon
International space agencies are meeting in Paris to establish a unified lunar time standard as global lunar exploration intensifies. Because gravity affects time dilation, a standardized clock is essential for the accuracy of future lunar navigation and base operations.
Why it matters
Establishing a lunar time standard is a critical technical prerequisite for the success of permanent human bases and robotic infrastructure on the Moon.
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Countries are gearing up to establish a unified lunar time standard, with a key international conference in Paris set to take up the issue amid a global race to establish a presence on the Moon.
Member states will try to work it out at the plenary meeting of the General Conference on Weights and Measures, which decides global measurement standards, as operations including the construction of a permanent base and lunar navigation are expected to be in full swing from around 2030.
China and the United States are among the countries pursuing plans to land astronauts on the lunar surface and secure lunar resources.
Under the theory of general relativity, time on the Moon passes slightly faster than on Earth because lunar gravity is only about one-sixth of Earth's, meaning lunar time runs ahead of time on Earth by around 56 microseconds per day.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in