NASA will send its next-generation atomic clock into space later this year, which will help in the safe exploration of space and solar system.

Atomic clocks have been flown into space before, but according to NASA this clock will be smaller, lighter and magnitudes more precise.

The clock has been developed by engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The Deep Space Atomic Clock has also been integrated with the spacecraft that will take it into orbit later in 2017. This was disclosed by the US space agency in a statement on Tuesday.

Normally, 'two-way' methods are used to track spacecrafts in which the ground-based antenna 'pings' the spacecraft and waits for the signal to return. The distance to the spacecraft can be calculated by measuring how long the signal takes to travel. This information is processed to determine the spacecraft's flight path and any course corrections, if required are suggested. 

The new atomic clock developed by NASA enables "one-way" tracking, where the spacecraft does not need to send the signal back to Earth. The spacecraft-based navigation system processes the tracking measurements to determine the path and to know whether any steps are needed to stay on course.

NASA said that this clock will provide astronauts with their position and velocity whenever they need it.

The Deep Space Atomic Clock will also improve the precision and quantity of the radio data used by scientists for determining a planet's gravity field and probing its atmosphere.