NASA’s Artemis II launch tore temporary holes in Earth’s upper atmosphere, according to a new study. Researchers at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan tracked the April 1 launch and found three separate disturbances in the ionosphere, the charged layer high above Earth.
Rocket exhaust reacted with the layer’s charged particles and thinned them out, and the largest disturbance stretched about 3,100 miles across North America. The shifts could have thrown GPS positions off by several metres, the researchers said, enough to confuse a self-driving car or a drone.
The study found no evidence of actual outages, crashes, or drones going off course. Study co-author Charles Lin said the effect matters more as heavy launches become routine.
Source: New York Post
