The White House has tasked NASA with creating a new time zone for the moon called “Coordinated Lunar Time” or LTC by the end of 2026.
This is part of broader US efforts to establish norms and standards for tracking time and events in space where multiple missions will operate.
A lunar time zone is needed as time passes slightly faster on the moon than Earth due to weaker gravity, which could impact communication and navigation.
NASA will work with international partners to recommend standards to the International Astronomical Union using atomic clocks on the moon as a reference.
Establishing an official lunar time zone supports growing plans for long-term human presence on the moon through NASA’s Artemis program and goals of other space agencies by the late 2020s and beyond.
The new 2026 deadline provides time for NASA to develop LTC before its aim to return astronauts to the moon’s surface starting that year.
Source: space
