Dozens of lunar missions are planned for the years ahead, with the need for time-keeping on the moon becoming essential for different space organisati

The moon could get its own time zone, but clocks work differently there – here's why

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2023-03-16 03:00:03

Dozens of lunar missions are planned for the years ahead, with the need for time-keeping on the moon becoming essential for different space organisations to work together.

For those who have, their question may soon have an answer, as space organisations are considering giving the moon its very own time zone.

Dozens of lunar missions, including ones to build bases and other habitats on the moon, are planned for the decade ahead, the European Space Agency (ESA) has said.

Space organisations began discussions about lunar time-keeping at the ESA's ESTEC technology centre in the Netherlands in November 2022.

ESA navigation system engineer Pietro Giordano said: "We agreed on the importance and urgency of defining a common lunar reference time, which is internationally accepted and towards which all lunar systems and users may refer to.

Up until now, each new mission to the moon has been operated on its own timescale, with deep space antennas used to keep onboard chronometers synchronised with the time on Earth.

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