Artemis II Tore 'Hole' in Earth's Atmosphere, Raising GPS Concerns
Summary
A preprint study reports that NASA’s Artemis II launch and later engine burns in April 2026 caused three temporary disturbances in the ionosphere, a part of the upper atmosphere that GPS signals pass through. The researchers said the largest disturbance covered about 50 degrees of longitude over North America, but reported no widespread GPS outage or evidence that the mission disrupted cars or drones.Key Facts
- Artemis II launched from Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying four astronauts on a nine-day flight around the Moon.
- Researchers identified three ionospheric disturbances: one at launch and two after later engine burns.
- The largest disturbance followed an engine burn about two hours after launch and spanned roughly 50 degrees of longitude over North America.
- The researchers described a temporary decline in charged particles as an ionosphere “hole”; the mission did not physically puncture the atmosphere.
- Changes in the ionosphere can affect how quickly GPS signals travel and may influence positioning accuracy.
- The study did not report a widespread GPS outage or evidence that Artemis II caused self-driving cars or drones to malfunction.
- The findings appeared in a preprint study published in July in Geophysical Research Letters.
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