Which statement about timekeeping in telemetry is true?

• A. GPS time cannot be used for telemetry precision.
• B. NTP provides millisecond accuracy on all networks.
• C. GPS time can provide high-accuracy timing for telemetry systems
• D. Timekeeping standards are optional.

Answer: (C)

Precise timing and synchronization are critical in telemetry to ensure data from different sensors line up correctly in time. GPS time provides a stable, globally available reference derived from atomic clocks on satellites, and a GPS receiver can discipline a local clock to this reference. This lets telemetry systems stamp measurements with very accurate timestamps and keep distributed devices in lockstep, which is essential for matching events, correlating data, and diagnosing issues. The accuracy and reliability come from the fact that GPS time isn’t dependent on network paths; it’s broadcast continuously from satellites and can deliver high-precision timing for the whole system. In contrast, relying on network time protocols like NTP depends on network conditions and often cannot guarantee millisecond accuracy everywhere, especially over wide-area networks. Timekeeping standards matter in telemetry because consistent timing underpins data integrity and analysis across the system. So, GPS time can provide high-accuracy timing for telemetry systems.