# Project 2344 — Precise Time and Astrometry

**Program element:** 0603207N — Air/Ocean Tactical Applications  
**Project:** 2344  
**Component:** U.S. Navy  
**Appropriation:** 1319 — RDT&E, Navy  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603207N/2344  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603207N

## Summary

Project 2344 — Precise Time and Astrometry requests $45.2M in FY2027, 59% of the $76.1M requested for program element 0603207N, up 569% on FY2026. 1 R-2A activity decomposes the request. National Science Foundation is the largest named R-3 performer at $36.8M, 81% of the project's FY2027 R-3 total.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 6.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 6.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 45.2 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 8.9 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 9.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 7.9 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 8.1 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0603207N; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 2344 buys

The Precise Timing and Astrometry (PTA) project funds research and development of improvements for the Master Clock (MC) System, the DoW Time Transfer capability, the Earth Orientation System, and the Celestial Reference Frame (CRF) System. The MC System and Time Transfer provides precise time for use in modern military and National Technical Means (NTM) navigation, guidance, positioning, and tracking systems. The Earth Orientation System provides precise Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP) for use by the DoW and national civilian infrastructure to establish the specific orientation of the Earth and to provide input to the terrestrial reference frame. The Celestial Reference Frame system provides the basic data needed to generate the Celestial Reference Frame (CRF) which is the standard for calibrating all inertial navigation systems, satellite orbits, and Earth rotation determinations. Improvement to the MC System, Time Transfer, Earth Orientation, and Celestial Reference Frame Systems are needed to ensure new and upgraded DoW and NTM capabilities meet their performance requirements. The U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) is responsible for coordinating Precise Time and Time Interval (PTTI) requirements and for maintaining a PTTI reference standard (astronomical and atomic) for use by all DoW, federal agencies, and related scientific laboratories. The Navy is also responsible for providing CRF data for military and NTM navigation, positioning, and guidance capabilities to all of DoW. CJCSI 6130.01H requires the USNO to meet or exceed present and future Timing, Earth Orientation, and Celestial Reference Frame requirements for the entire DoW via RDTE efforts. The PTA research and development efforts are focused on several areas relating to timing and time transfer: (1) Development of improved Global Positioning System (GPS) Timing Receivers in order to meet the precise timing requirements for the GPS III system; (2) Research and development of the capability of distributing timing signals via alternative methods to GPS time distribution; and (3) Research and development into Optical Clock technology in order to meet current and future DoW systems requirements.

**R-3 lines of work:** Product Development; Support; Management Services.

## Named R-3 performers

| Performer | $M | Share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total |
|---|---|---|
| National Science Foundation | 36.8 | 81% |
| SBIR Placeholder | 1.8 | 3.9% |

> Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations. Shares need not reach 100% — unnamed and government work is in the denominator.

## Activities (R-2A) — 1

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precise Timing and Astronomy | 6.0 | 6.8 | 45.2 | +569% | [a0](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603207N/2344/a0) |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### Precise Timing and Astronomy

* Optical Clock Development: Calcium Clock Full Operating Capability of hot beam clock and prototyping cold beam clock * Optical Lattice Clock Development: Full Operating Capability of first lattice clock * Multi Measurement System: validation and testing of operational implementation * Earth Orientation Combination and Prediction…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603207N/2344/a0

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603207N.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0603207N project 2344 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603207N")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*