NASA's Artemis II rocket tore 5,000km holes in the atmosphere — causing GPS disruptions powerful enough to force self-driving cars to 'change lanes'

Rocket launches like the one for the Artemis II mission (left) could affect GPS satellites (right)

(Image credit: NASA / Bill Ingalls)

Researchers report on 3 huge 'perturbations' caused by Artemis II

The rips in the ionosphere could affect GPS systems

Further study is needed to assess the impact of the rocket launch

The April 2026 Artemis II mission marked the first time humans have been in lunar space since 1972, and scientists are…