The launch of NASA’s Artemis II created temporary disturbances in Earth’s ionosphere, the layer of atmosphere located between 30 and 600 miles above Earth.
The mission, launched in April 2026, caused disturbances stretching approximately 3,100 miles across the ionosphere, temporarily changing electron concentrations in the upper atmosphere. Researchers at the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan note that these disturbances could have caused temporary, localized GPS positioning errors. They further note that the disturbances associated with Artemis II were up to ten times more intense than those caused by SpaceX’s Starship test flights.
Atmospheric Impact
Researchers note that Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as GPS, work by relying on precise timing measurements of radio signals. These signals travel from satellites to ground-based receivers, and their speed is influenced by the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere. Therefore, the disruption in the ionosphere caused by rocket exhaust impacted signal propagation speeds. The measured changes were equivalent to potential positioning errors of several meters.
A standard consumer navigation system can tolerate small variations in positioning. However, autonomous platforms operate under strict spatial tolerances. An uncompensated positional drift of several meters could affect an autonomous vehicle’s ability to remain within its lane or adversely impact the flight path stability of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
[SOURCE]
