Washington DC, United States -

Moon Standard Time: The daunting task of setting up a standard time zone on the Moon has been given to the space agency NASA by the White House with the hope that people on Earth will be able to tell what time it is on the Moon.

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The space agency was sent a memo by the head of the US Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on Tuesday (April 2) in which they were asked to work in coordination with other US agencies and international agencies for setting up a moon-centric time reference system. 

NASA has been given time till the end of 2026 to set up what is known as Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC). 

How different is the moon's time zone from that of Earth?

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The time zone on the Moon won't be very similar to the standard time zones we have on Earth. Actually, Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) will be an entire frame of time covering all the regions on the Moon.

Since the gravity on the moon is less, time shifts a bit quickly - 58.7 microseconds every day – in comparison to Earth.

Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) will also provide scientists with a time-keeping benchmark for lunar satellites and spacecraft that require extreme precision for their missions. 

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“An atomic clock on the moon will tick at a different rate than a clock on Earth,” said Kevin Coggins, a top communications and navigation official at NASA.

“It makes sense that when you go to another body, like the moon or Mars, that each one gets its own heartbeat," he added.

Why is Moon Standard Time important?

In September 2026, NASA is planning to send its astronaut missions to the moon through its Artemis programme. They will also establish a scientific lunar base which can help set the stage for future missions to Mars. 

Various spacecraft, companies and countries are part of the effort.

Speaking to Reuters, an OSTP official said that without a unified lunar time standard, the scientists will find it challenging to ensure that secured data transfers are taking place between spacecraft. It will also be difficult to synchronise communications among Earth, lunar satellites, bases and astronauts.

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According to the official, the discrepancies in time can also result in errors in mapping the moon and locating positions on or orbiting around the natural satellite.

“Imagine if the world wasn’t syncing their clocks to the same time, how disruptive that might be and how challenging everyday things become,” said the official.

(With inputs from agencies)