NASA Artemis II launch accidentally punched hole in Earth's ionosphere
NASA's Artemis II launch in April 2026 did more than send astronauts toward the Moon: it accidentally punched a big hole in Earth's ionosphere, the atmospheric layer that helps GPS work.
Scientists from Taiwan noticed this "space weather" glitch by tracking changes in free electrons using ground-based GPS data.
The disruption was so strong, it looked a lot like what happens during solar storms.
Researchers call for prelaunch research
These ionospheric hiccups can throw off GPS accuracy, which isn't great news for things like self-driving cars or drones that rely on precise navigation.
As researcher Charles Lin pointed out, even tiny errors could cause real problems for tech we count on every day.
The team says we need more research before future rocket launches to keep our navigation and communication systems running smoothly as space missions ramp up.