H.R. 2313 — Celestial Time Standardization Act

This section states the sense of Congress on the importance of U.S. leadership in developing celestial time standardization (i.e., timekeeping beyond Earth, such as a coordinated lunar time) to address challenges with Coordinated Universal Time due to relativistic effects, support NASA Artemis and Moon to Mars programs, and enable interoperability among governmental, commercial, academic, and international partners. It directs the NASA Administrator, in consultation with the Office of Science and Technology Policy Director, to (1) lead the study and definition of celestial time standardization, including a coordinated lunar time; (2) develop a strategy for its implementation to support lunar operations and infrastructure; (3) coordinate with the Departments of Commerce, Defense, State, and Transportation and consult private sector, academic, and international entities; and (4) incorporate, to the extent practicable, traceability to Coordinated Universal Time, sufficient accuracy for precision navigation and science, resilience to loss of Earth contact, and scalability beyond the Earth-Moon system. It requires the NASA Administrator to brief the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on the strategy, including plans, timelines, and resources, not later than two years after enactment.