Moon Timekeeping: The Importance of Lunar Clocks

As space agencies plan for a permanent human presence on the moon, the need for a time system or zones arises. The moon's slow rotation and lack of cues like sunrise and sunset make it challenging to define time. Javier Ventura-Traveset, an engineer at the European Space Agency, is leading a project called Moonlight to design satellites for astronauts and robotic explorers to support NASA's Artemis program. The project raises questions about whether the moon should have a single time zone and how that would work. Moonlight and its US counterpart, the Lunar Communications Relay and Navigation Systems, will play a fundamental role in the future of space travel.