What time is it right now on the Moon? The USA has the answer

HIBAPRESS-RABAT-Agencies

What time is it right now on the Moon? For the moment, we cannot really answer this question, because our satellite does not yet have independent time. However, this could change in the coming years with the White House asking NASA to create a specific time zone for the Moon.

A space race is currently taking shape between several countries, including the United States, China, Japan, India and Russia. Most focus on establishing humanity’s long-term presence on the Moon. For the United States, it therefore seems appropriate to establish an official time reference to guide future lunar missions.

“As NASA, private companies and space agencies around the world launch missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond, it is important that we establish celestial time standards for safety and accuracy,” wrote Steve Welby, OSTP deputy director for national security, in a press release.

With this in mind, the White House, through its Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), issued a memo to NASA to create a new time zone for the Moon by the end of 2026.

This new lunar time standard is called “coordinated lunar time”. For the moment, we know almost everything about it. For example, it is not known whether it provides for multiple time zones (as is the case on Earth).

In any case, you should know that gravity is weaker on the Moon, and this has an impact on time, as suggested by Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Time passes slightly faster there, with an average loss of 58.7 microseconds per Earth day. This may seem insignificant to us. However, this tiny difference could derail space operations that require precise timing and synchronization of technologies.

Of course, establishing “coordinated lunar weather” would be crucial to the success of NASA’s Artemis program, which plans to send humans to the Moon no earlier than September 2026.

However, it requires international cooperation, in particular between the 37 signatory countries of the “Artemis agreements”, the list of which should continue to grow (China and Russia are not yet part of it).