Countries gear up to create lunar standard time amid global race on Moon

Countries are preparing to create a single lunar time standard amid a worldwide competition to establish a human presence on the Moon. An important international gathering in Paris will discuss the matter, as nations such as China and the United States plan to send astronauts to the lunar surface and secure its resources. Around 2030, activities like constructing a permanent lunar base and lunar navigation are expected to be underway.

According to the theory of general relativity, time on the Moon moves marginally faster than on Earth since lunar gravity is about one-sixth that of Earth's. Consequently, lunar time advances by approximately 56 microseconds per day compared to Earth time. This discrepancy in time could create complications for upcoming lunar missions.

For instance, when establishing a lunar base, precise knowledge of the exact location of operations is crucial. Satellites orbiting the Moon, similar to Earth's Global Positioning System, would provide signals to determine positions. Therefore, lunar time must be accurate, as even a timing error of just 1 microsecond could result in a positional error of approximately 300 meters, potentially impacting robots operating at a lunar base.

Mamoru Sekido, a research manager at Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, emphasized that international cooperation to coordinate and unify time standards for satellites operated by various countries is essential for lunar development. There are two proposals for establishing lunar time. One proposal considers a hypothetical clock situated at the Moon's center of mass and calculates lunar time from it.

The other proposal relies on a real clock placed at the Moon's average surface height, which would be more akin to how time is defined on Earth.