Scientists have big plans for the Moon. Many scientists want to establish a base on the Moon so that rockets can take off without escaping Earth’s gravity, and then continue their space exploration from there. However, some scientists say that before these can be achieved, we need to establish a specific reference for Lunar communication, namely a Moon-based time zone.
One of the big plans for the moon is to set up a lunar telecommunications service. In fact, the European Space Agency (ESA) is already trying to involve private companies in such an initiative. As the race to get back to the Moon continues to accelerate, making long-term plans means we need to figure out everything we need to make a Moon base successful, including a Moon-centric time zone.
The need for such a time zone stems from the need to provide more accurate location data to those on the lunar surface. Currently missions on the Moon synchronize their clocks with those on Earth. However, ESA states that this will not be enough for future missions, especially as more missions take flight. Creating a Moon time zone is thought to help with this.
Discussions on creating a specific time zone on the moon began last November during a meeting at ESA’s European Center for Space Research and Technology in the Netherlands. Having a standard Moon time zone stands out as part of NASA’s effort to create LunaNet, a digital architecture network aimed at enabling communication and navigation on the Moon.
There is no current launch date for the Moonlight satellites that would allow LunaNet to work. We also have no idea when a Moon-centered time zone might be created, or even how different it might be from our time zones on Earth. However, the need for the establishment of this system is increasing.
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