NASA’s Artemis II launch in April 2026 disturbed Earth’s ionosphere and may have caused temporary, localized errors in GPS positioning, according to a new study by researchers at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan. The team says the effects were more pronounced than those recorded after other rocket launches studied so far.

The researchers analyzed measurements from ground-based GPS receiver networks. By tracking how long satellite signals took to reach the stations, they reconstructed changes in the concentration of free electrons in the ionosphere, the electrically charged region of the atmosphere beginning roughly 50 kilometers above Earth.

During the launch, the measured changes were equivalent to positioning errors of several meters. Study co-author Charles Lin, an earth science professor at the university, told Space.com that an error of a couple of meters could be enough to prompt an autonomous vehicle to change lanes. He also pointed to possible effects on drone positioning.

GPS and other satellite navigation signals must pass through the ionosphere on their way to receivers on the ground. Changes in the layer’s free-electron concentrations can alter how quickly signals travel, leading to inaccurate location measurements.

The team identified two large disturbances following the launch. One was linked to the SLS core stage, while another followed two burns of the upper stage. Both extended across the United States, spanning about 5,000 kilometers. The effects of the upper-stage burns, which took place at an altitude of around 185 kilometers more than an hour after liftoff, were stronger than those attributed to the core stage.

The researchers said rocket-induced ionospheric effects are shorter-lived than disruptions caused by severe solar storms. Lin told Space.com that the upper-stage maneuvers were notable because they took place in an interplanetary mission, and said such effects could become more significant as more missions travel to the Moon and Mars.

The study was published online as a preprint in Geophysical Research Letters.

Sources: Space.com.