Researchers at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan found the April 1, 2026 Artemis II launch created temporary electron density depletions in the ionosphere across North America, potentially causing meter-scale GPS errors.
Researchers at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan analyzed ground-based GPS receiver data following NASA’s Artemis II launch on April 1, 2026, and found the launch created temporary holes in the ionosphere, a layer of Earth’s upper atmosphere that GPS signals pass through.
The team found that each hole stretched roughly 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) across North America. The disturbances unfolded across different flight phases following the launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The study recorded three distinct disturbances: the first caused by the rocket’s core stage during launch, a second from an upper-stage apogee-raising maneuver about 115 miles above Earth, and a third from the trans-lunar injection burn that sent the Orion spacecraft toward the Moon.
The findings were detailed in a preprint study released on the ESS Open Archive platform ahead of peer review.
The researchers said the disturbances could have shifted positions for single-frequency GPS receivers by several meters, though modern dual-frequency systems can correct for such delays. The researchers warned that standard single-frequency devices, widely used in commercial drones and autonomous vehicle sensors, remain vulnerable to discrepancies of that size.
No GPS failures, navigation problems, or accidents have been linked to the launch so far.
GPS signals pass through the ionosphere, where shifts in electron density can alter signal travel time and introduce errors into a receiver’s distance calculation. For high-precision applications such as surveying and tectonic monitoring, GPS accuracy measured in centimeters is an operational requirement. As launch frequency increases, rocket-induced ionospheric disruption may become a growing concern for precision navigation.
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This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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