China Develops and Releases Lunar Timekeeping System Software

Chinese researchers have developed a lunar timekeeping system designed to maintain clock accuracy during long-duration lunar missions. This development follows China's successful test of a lunar lander. Researchers from China's Purple Mountain Observatory detailed their software, named LTE440, in a paper published in Astronomy and Astrophysics. LTE440 is designed for tracking lunar time and synchronizing it with Earth time. The software has been made publicly available on GitHub, with a user manual accessible via Harvard University's Astrophysics Data System. NASA is also developing its own Coordinated Lunar Time standard. The Chinese system is the first such system to be publicly released. According to the South China Morning Post, the system's developers state it is accurate within tens of nanoseconds over 1,000 years. NASA is expected to proceed with its own system, noting existing U.S. restrictions on Chinese technology, including cars, hardware, and software for communications and autonomous driving.