Aether BARYCENTER is a production-deployed relativistic time conversion platform. Seven containerized services applying JPL DE440 ephemeris corrections to convert UTC to Lunar Coordinated Time — with Ed25519-signed, audit-logged timestamps that any downstream mission system can verify. The only commercially available ITAR-compliant implementation of LTC for US operators.
A purpose-built relativistic time pipeline. UTC enters the Core LTC Engine, which queries the Ephemeris service for real-time JPL DE440 data to compute TCB and apply lunar corrections. The result is signed, logged, and delivered through the API Gateway — with every request captured in the Audit Log and surfaced in the operator Dashboard.
Aether BARYCENTER is ITAR-controlled software. Access is restricted to US persons and entities as defined under 22 CFR 120.62. All users must attest to US person status at registration. The conversion service, ephemeris data, and signing keys constitute defense-related technical data subject to ITAR Part 120-130 export control regulations.
ITAR enforcement is structural — not configurable. ITAR gating occurs at the API Gateway before any payload is delivered. No conversion request is processed without a valid ITAR-attested JWT. Every request is logged with caller identity, input UTC, output LTC, and the Ed25519 signature for that record.
Five application services backed by PostgreSQL and Redis. Every service maintains explicit inter-service contracts. No implicit data sharing.
The Core service accepts a UTC timestamp and a position vector (optional lunar surface reference), queries the Ephemeris service for current DE440 planetary positions, and computes the conversion via Barycentric Coordinate Time (TCB) as an intermediate. The lunar gravitational potential and velocity relative to the Solar System barycenter are applied to produce the final LTC value. The result is signed with Ed25519 and returned to the caller with a verification chain.
A provably correct LTC timestamp — not an approximation — signed and ready for embedding in any mission record. Microsecond-class relativistic accuracy aligned with the NASA lunar time standard.
The Ephemeris service provides real-time and historical planetary position data from the JPL DE440 standard — the same dataset used in NASA mission planning. For each conversion request, it returns the Moon's position vector relative to the Solar System barycenter, enabling the Core Engine to apply precise gravitational and velocity corrections rather than static approximations.
Physically accurate corrections at every conversion — not a fixed offset. LTC values remain correct across the full lunar orbital cycle.
The API Gateway is the only externally-reachable surface of the BARYCENTER platform. It enforces ITAR access control before any request reaches the Core Engine — validating the caller's JWT, checking their ITAR attestation record, and enforcing per-tenant rate limits. Requests that fail ITAR validation are rejected before payload delivery. The gateway also handles tenant registration and token issuance.
ITAR enforcement happens at the entry point — structurally, not conditionally. No conversion request is processed without a valid, ITAR-attested identity on record.
Every UTC→LTC conversion request generates an immutable audit record capturing the caller identity, input UTC, output LTC, Ed25519 signature, ephemeris epoch used, and request metadata. The Audit Log service maintains these records in append-only storage. Records cannot be modified or deleted by application-layer processes. The audit trail is surfaced in the operator Dashboard for review and export.
A complete, tamper-resistant log of every LTC timestamp issued by the system — including who requested it, when, and the cryptographic signature that verifies the result. Supports ITAR accountability and mission post-mortems.
ITAR validation occurs at the API Gateway before any upstream service is called. Enforcement is structural — not a configuration flag. No conversion proceeds without a valid, attested US entity identity.
Every LTC timestamp carries an Ed25519 cryptographic signature covering the input UTC, output LTC, and conversion ID. Downstream systems can independently verify any conversion record without calling BARYCENTER again.
Every conversion generates an immutable audit record. The record includes caller identity, both timestamps, the signature, and the ephemeris epoch used. Records are append-only at the storage layer.
Relativistic corrections are computed from real-time DE440 ephemeris data — the same planetary dataset used in NASA mission planning. No static offsets or approximations.
The platform denies access by default. JWT validation failure, ITAR attestation failure, or rate limit breach all close the request before any conversion is attempted.
AetherSat and LaunchSBOM call BARYCENTER via an authenticated internal key. LTC timestamps are embedded in constellation maneuver records and launch attestations natively — no manual integration required.
Every BARYCENTER service has a dedicated test suite. 58 validation tests across 4 application services — covering UTC→LTC conversion accuracy, relativistic corrections, Ed25519 signing verification, audit log integrity, gateway ITAR enforcement, rate limiting, and AetherSat/LaunchSBOM integration endpoints.
We confirm US entity status and scope the ITAR controls applicable to your program before any technical disclosure.
We review your lunar mission's timing requirements — precision targets, mission phase, and downstream systems that will consume LTC timestamps.
We scope the integration path for your stack — direct API, AetherSat embedded, or LaunchSBOM certification flow — and deliver an integration specification.
Time-bounded pilot with full access to the BARYCENTER API, audit trail, and verification tooling. LTC samples produced against your mission parameters.