The Moon’s darkest craters may become hubs for future laser technology

Published on

20/05/2026 - 14:05 GMT+2

Scientists have proposed building extremely stable lasers in the Moon’s darkest craters to help future spacecraft navigate and keep time more accurately, according to a new study.

Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in the United States, proposed in a peer-reviewed study placing a small silicon device inside one of the Moon’s permanently shadowed craters to stabilise laser light.

Once stabilised, the laser could be used as a timing and navigation signal for future lunar missions.