NASA’s Artemis II mission caused significant disturbances in Earth’s ionosphere during its April 1, 2026, launch and subsequent orbital maneuvers, triggering large-scale changes that researchers say could impact the accuracy of GPS-dependent technologies.
Researchers from National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan identified three distinct disturbances, with the most prominent effects associated with engine burns conducted by the spacecraft’s upper stage while it was at high altitudes.
Atmospheric Changes Cause Several Meters of Positioning Error
The study suggests these atmospheric changes are equivalent to positioning errors of several meters. Because GPS signals rely on timing transmissions from satellites to receivers on the ground, variations in the ionosphere’s electron density can alter signal travel times. To determine the scale of the impact, the research team analyzed data from high-precision networks of fixed ground-based GPS stations. These high-precision networks are typically used by scientific institutions to monitor minute movements in the Earth’s crust.
A positioning error of a couple of meters is enough to cause an autonomous car to change lanes,
Charles Lin, an Earth science professor at National Cheng Kung University
Lin noted that while these errors are currently theoretical, they present a potential risk for precision-reliant sectors. It could have a strong impact not only on self-driving cars but also on drone positioning,
Lin said. The researchers observed that these disturbances elongated 50 degrees of longitude across North America, stretching approximately 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) like giant contrails.
Artemis II Mission Launches from Kennedy Space Center
The Artemis II mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a trip around the Moon. The SLS rocket, which provided 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, is considered the most powerful rocket NASA has ever launched, exceeding the power of the Saturn V used during the Apollo era by roughly 15%.
The study identified three specific events during the mission that caused atmospheric disruptions. The first occurred during the initial liftoff, generating shock-acoustic and gravity wave modulations. The second disturbance was triggered by an apogee raise maneuver
roughly one hour after launch at an altitude of approximately 115 miles. The third occurred about 25 hours into the flight during the trans-lunar injection burn. While the core stage liftoff was the most powerful in terms of raw thrust, the upper-stage burns performed inside the ionosphere resulted in more prominent perturbations.
Comparison to Previous Rocket Launches
The ionospheric effects observed during the Artemis II mission were described as more significant than those documented in previous launches. According to the research team, some disturbances were up to 10 times more intense than those recorded following SpaceX Starship test launches. In 2017, researchers had previously documented a 559-mile (900-km) hole in the ionosphere following a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch, but the scale of the Artemis II event was described by the study authors as unprecedented large-scale disturbances.
Future Considerations for Space Missions
The research raises questions regarding the growing cadence of heavy-lift rocket launches.
In the future, as we are going to see many more missions going to the moon and to Mars, these space weather effects will become much more significant.
Charles Lin, an Earth science professor at National Cheng Kung University
The research serves as a preliminary analysis of anthropogenic space weather, suggesting that as launch activity becomes more routine, the industry may need to account for how engine burns inside the ionosphere influence high-precision positioning services.