What the study found
Scientists at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan say the Artemis II mission produced atmospheric disturbances larger than those from any rocket launch studied so far, according to BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Their work is a pre-print, meaning it is available to read but may not yet have completed formal review. The paper is hosted on essopenarchive.org.
The team reports that the launch and the engine burns that followed caused three distinct disturbances in the ionosphere. This layer of the upper atmosphere is described as stretching roughly 80 to 640 kilometers (50 to 400 miles) above the surface, at the edge of space.
Headlines from several outlets, including USA Today, Gizmodo and WUSA9, have described the effect as a rocket punching or tearing a hole in the atmosphere. The source material describes the findings as disturbances in the ionosphere.
Three disturbances, three events
The first disturbance came at liftoff from Kennedy Space Center. According to the report, it generated shock-acoustic and gravity wave modulations in the ionosphere.
The next two events were stronger than the launch itself. About an hour after liftoff, the spacecraft carried out an apogee raise burn, an engine firing used to increase its altitude. The researchers say this burn triggered the second disturbance.
The third came roughly 25 hours after liftoff, during the trans-lunar injection burn, which sends a spacecraft on its way toward the Moon.
The study authors say the apogee raise burn "triggered shock waves and unprecedented large-scale disturbances that elongated 50° longitude across North America." They also write: "This is the first time a single space mission produced three instances of ionospheric disturbances over the same region during successive orbit manoeuvres."
Effects on GPS and communications
The researchers stress that the Artemis II liftoff did not cause widespread GPS disruption. They did, however, record changes in the ionosphere that they say could create problems during future launches.
According to the report, disturbances of this kind could interfere with communications on Earth, for example by affecting radio signals. Other technologies that depend on GPS for positioning, such as self-driving cars and drones, could also be affected.
The team says the findings may point to future difficulties as increasingly powerful rocket launches become more frequent.
The mission behind the data
Artemis II launched on April 1, 2026, carrying four astronauts on a nine-day trip around the Moon and back. According to BBC Sky at Night Magazine, the crew traveled farther beyond the Moon than any mission before it, using lunar gravity to slingshot around and begin the return to Earth.
It was the first crewed mission to the Moon since the Apollo program. It also marked a key step in NASA's plans to establish a permanent human presence on the lunar surface.
The study does not question the mission's success. Its focus is on the side effects that large launches and orbital maneuvers can have on the upper atmosphere, and on what those effects might mean as spaceflight activity grows.
