USA x China: Understand the dispute to establish the official clock on the Moon!

The space race between China and the USA enters a new decisive phase: who will be the first to control the weather on the Moon and shape the future of space missions?

The two greatest global powers, China e USAare involved in a crucial race to determine “what time it is on the Moon”. The winner of this dispute will be able to leave their mark on the history of space exploration and establish a fundamental standard for future lunar missions.

The US, along with its space partners, is working to define a special time zone for the Moon. However, US rivals China and Russia are developing their own solutions outside of this Washington-led initiative. Beijingin particular, is focused on creating its own lunar navigation and timing system.

This American undertaking is driven by a directive from the White House, which gave the Nasa leadership in creating the Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC). The goal is to support safe and sustainable exploration as more countries and private companies prepare for missions to the Moon. The expectation is that LTC will become the “international standard,” according to a memo issued by the Office of Science and Technology Policy at White House in April.

“Knowledge of weather in distant operating regimes is critical to scientific discovery, economic development, and international collaboration, which form the basis of U.S. leadership in space,” the office said in the document.

Namrata Goswamispace policy researcher at Arizona State University, highlighted that this White House directive reflects the predicted increase in lunar activities, both manned and unmanned. This growth will require a common time zone for better coordination between countries that signed the Artemis Accords, an initiative led by the US.

During the Cold War, lunar space missions used the time standards of their home countries. However, activities on the Moon were limited at that time. Today, the number of signatories to Artemis Chords has grown to 43 countries. Nonetheless, China e Russiatwo of the leading space powers, did not join. On the contrary, both lead the parallel effort of International Lunar Research Stationwhose goal is to build a permanent base at the Moon’s south pole by 2035.

A China has already announced plans to establish its own lunar time zone. By 2028, Beijing aims to develop coordinated lunar communication and lunar internet capabilities, as well as timing systems.

Chinese researchers have proposed the creation of a constellation of satellites, similar to the system Beidouto provide high-precision navigation and real-time timing on the Moon. A team from the Beijing Institute of Space Systems Engineering suggested in June launching a network of 21 satellites around the Moon. Such a network would be essential to support China’s lunar ambitions, with satellites designed to be sustainable and cost-effective, to be launched in three phases.

However, currently, there is no unified time system to the Moon. Each mission uses its own timescale, tied to the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) of Earth. This method has worked for independent missions, but can become a problem when multiple spacecraft need to collaborate.

An additional challenge is that clocks on Earth and the Moon They mark time differently due to different gravitational fields. According to NASA, atomic clocks on the lunar surface tick 56 microseconds faster per day than clocks on Earth. Although the difference may seem small, timing accuracy is vital for synchronizing space missions.

Furthermore, there is a difference in speed between clocks on the lunar surface and those in orbit around the Moon, further complicating the issue of establishing a lunar time that is also practical for astronauts. According to NASA, LTC will be determined by a weighted average of atomic clocks placed on the Moon, similar to calculating UTC on Earth.

Goswami highlighted that it is not yet clear whether the time zones proposed by the Artemis Chords and by International Lunar Research Station will be identical. Establishing time standards is not only a practical matter, but also a symbol of political power and influence.

Historically, establishing time standards has been a way to consolidate power, as exemplified by the adoption of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) at the end of the 19th century. The 1884 decision, which established the prime meridian at Greenwich, was a reflection of British dominance in areas such as navigation, commerce and science.

The same principle applies to the current race to define lunar time, where the country that sets that standard will have a central role in coordinating future missions to the Moon and, potentially, throughout lunar space.