The U.S. is working to create a lunar navigation system just like the one used on Earth, in response to Frank Whitworth, the pinnacle of the nation’s Nationwide Geospatial-Intelligence Company (NGA).
“In the present day we’re working with NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. House Power, and U.S. House Command, to develop the Lunar Geodetic System that may information future guests across the Moon’s floor as precisely and safely as GPS does on Earth,” mentioned Whitworth in a press release printed after a speech on the US Geospatial Intelligence Basis’s GEOINT Symposium within the U.S. state of Missouri.
The Lunar Geodetic System, offering exact and correct latitude, longitude and time knowledge, is more likely to be the primary of many celestial physique reference methods NGA will probably be tasked with within the years forward, mentioned Whitworth.
“It’s one in all many causes we’re engaged on rising and coaching the following era of scientists, and bringing geodesy and geomatics skillsets again to the U.S. Creating long-term relationships with educational companions is a technique to try this,” he mentioned.
Whitworth emphasised that there are numerous plans for additional planetary exploration and navigation methods for various planets however they’re engaged on a moon-based system for now.