China’s space station may get the most precise clock in orbit – if it passes key test
- Optical atomic clock will be delivered to Tiangong in October if it clears technical evaluation next week, according to scientist familiar with project
- It is designed to achieve accuracy of one quintillionth of a second – equivalent to losing or gaining one second every 30 billion years
The optical atomic clock is designed to achieve accuracy of one quintillionth of a second – equivalent to losing or gaining one second every 30 billion years – which could make it a game changer for both military and civilian purposes.
If it passes the evaluation, the atomic clock – developed by a team led by the National Time Service Centre in Xian – will be delivered to the Tiangong space station in October for cutting-edge physics research, said the scientist, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Optical atomic clocks enable faster communications and better navigation, but they are also important for national defence. Launching a new optical atomic clock programme in January, the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency said time synchronisation was “critical to achieving mission success in modern warfare”.
The scientist said the Chinese atomic clock had already achieved quintillionth-second accuracy – or 10−18 uncertainty, in technical terms – on the ground but the team was waiting for a key test result to see how well it would perform in space.
