The Artemis II launch was powerful enough to disrupt GPS signals

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Rocket launches can affect more than the sky directly above them. Hackaday reports on a preprint study looking at how the Artemis II launch affected the upper atmosphere, which the researchers call anthropogenic space weather, using data from thousands of sensors around the world

The Space Launch System's first stage had the most thrust, but it burned low in the atmosphere and had little effect on the ionosphere. Its exhaust did little to the upper atmosphere

The second and third stages, burning higher up, had a much bigger impact. Their effects could have caused sustained GPS disruption at the time, and atmospheric gravity waves spread across all of North America

The article does not name the researchers or the study, and the paper has not yet been peer reviewed. The holes created in the ionosphere are not a big problem now, but they are worth watching as launches become more frequent

It is fascinating that a single launch can ripple across a whole continent's upper atmosphere. As rocket launches become routine, understanding these effects will matter for navigation and communications. Studies like this help plan for a busier future in space

Did you know rocket launches could affect GPS? And should the growing number of launches worry us?

Artemis II Rocket Was Powerful Enough To Disrupt GPShackaday.com