The Office of Science and Technology Policy has called on federal government agencies to develop common reference systems to support the long-term presence of humans on the Moon. OSTP published a memorandum on Wednesday seeking to establish a reference system that will enable navigation, scientific discovery and commercial activity on the lunar surface.

According to the document, NASA must collaborate with other federal agencies and international partners to craft an implementation plan for the lunar reference systems by 2026.

The new memorandum complements a previous memo that Arati Prabhakar, assistant to the president for science and technology and director of OSTP, issued in April, in which she directed NASA to establish a timing system for the Moon and other celestial bodies.

Timekeeping on the Moon can be quite a challenge due to its unique gravitational pull. A regular atomic clock would tick faster on the lunar surface compared to those on Earth.

A unified time standard will support sustained activity on and around the Moon.

OSTP will also publish the National Cislunar Science and Technology Action Plan, which outlines the steps the government will take over the next five years to maintain leadership in space.

The document has four strategic objectives: supporting research and development efforts, expanding international coordination on science and technology, and broadening coverage of space situational awareness capabilities.

According to the action plan, the U.S. also aims to build scalable and interoperable communications and positioning, navigation, and timing infrastructure in cislunar space.