NASA to launch atomic clock in space to help astronauts navigate themselves

In order to help astronauts know where they are going and if they would be able to get to their space destinations in time, NASA has decided to send an atomic clock up in space.

As space agencies are planning to go into further space including Mars, they look into the potential challenges posed too, one of which being navigation in space. For this, NASA is planning to launch a tool this month to help the future astronauts.

Currently, as per BGR, spacecrafts depend on commands from Earth to understand their position in relation to other objects such as planets. Also, the navigations can even take anywhere from minutes to hours to deliver directions. Though they work, the systems are not ideal especially for the future missions which will include humans.

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“Every spacecraft exploring deep space is steered by navigators here on Earth. Deep Space Atomic Clock will change that by enabling onboard autonomous navigation, or self-driving spacecraft,” said Jill Seubert, deputy principal investigator.

NASA has decided to launch a GPS-like Deep Space Atomic Clock that will test the feasibility of using an instrument to help space travelers in navigating the stars. The device will be able to quickly help a spacecraft in recognizing its position in space, hence pushing us towards a future where spacecrafts can drive themselves without relying on any input from Earth.

“Having a clock onboard would enable onboard radio navigation and, when combined with optical navigation, make for a more accurate and safe way for astronauts to be able to navigate themselves,” Deep Space Atomic Clock principal investigator Todd Ely said.

The atomic clock test mission, which is scheduled to launch later this June, is expected to last for approximately a year and will test if it can help spacecraft locate themselves up there.

NASA is optimistic that it could pave way for future spacecraft navigation where astronauts can be guided by the clock and can fly on their own missions to Mars and beyond, as per NASA.