NASA Tasked with Development of Lunar Time Standard NLT 31 Dec 2026
As Moon mission cadence continues to grow, and in recognition of gravity-induced spacetime dilation resulting in 58.7-μs offset from Earth, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is directing NASA (with Commerce, Defense, State, Transportation departments) to define and implement time reference frames for non-Earth celestial bodies, beginning with Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) in support of Moon surface and cislunar activity; Elements to be considered by National Cislunar Science & Technology sub-Interagency Working Group (NASA + National Space Council) include: Traceability to UTC, Accuracy for PNT, Resilience when out of Earth contact, and Scalability for bodies beyond Earth-Moon system
