The key facts

  • The SLS launch in April 2026 left two 5,000 km holes in the ionosphere at an altitude of 185 km
  • The electron disturbances were 10 times stronger than during Starship tests, even though SLS is half as powerful
  • The study's authors: the data must be taken into account when preparing missions to the Moon and Mars

A launch that left a mark in the ionosphere

The launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket as part of NASA's Artemis 2 mission in April 2026 created a large gap in the ionosphere and caused a temporary GPS disruption — scientists encountered this phenomenon for the first time. This is reported by Daryo.uz citing a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

What happened during the flight

In April 2026, SLS placed the Orion spacecraft with four astronauts on board into orbit: they flew around the Moon and returned to Earth, and the mission became a stage of preparation for the lunar landing planned for 2028. According to the study, as the rocket flew over the United States, two holes 5,000 kilometers long formed in the ionosphere: the first was caused by the operation of the first stage, the second after the ignition of the upper stage engines. This happened an hour after launch at an altitude of 185 kilometers, when Orion had overcome Earth's gravity and set course for the Moon. Experts note that nothing like this was observed during previous rocket launches.

Why this affects navigation

GPS satellites orbit at an altitude of about 20,000 kilometers, and their signals pass through the ionosphere, which lies above 50 kilometers. These signals are affected not only by powerful solar storms but also by rocket launches: as a rocket ascends, it creates a shock wave that punches through the ionosphere. The researchers analyzed data from a network of GPS receivers used for monitoring seismic activity and found that the SLS flight changed the concentration of free electrons in the ionosphere. The disturbances turned out to be 10 times stronger than during SpaceX's Starship tests, even though the latter is twice as powerful as SLS.

Practical consequences

Fluctuations in electron density in the ionosphere can lead to errors in ground-based GPS navigation; according to the study's authors, such disruptions create a risk of route deviation for self-driving cars and drones. The authors emphasize that the data obtained must be taken into account when preparing future missions to the Moon and Mars. An important limitation: in the available publications, the effect is described based on a retelling of a single study rather than the article text itself, so details of the methodology and quantitative estimates of GPS disruptions remain outside what is presented here.