NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock ’10 times more stable’ than existing space clocks

NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock ’10 times more stable’ than existing space clocks

NASA's new Deep Space Atomic Clock - designed to provide a GPS-like system for spacecraft - is up to 10 times more stable than existing space clocks, new research has found.

Ground-based atomic clocks have been the gold standard for timekeeping since the 1950s, but now a new device launched into space in 2019 is set to revolutionise interplanetary navigation.

At the moment travelling through space requires the spacecraft to communicate back to Earth, introducing a delay before it receives confirmation of its position, including any new directions.