SpaceX Rocket Made Hole In Ionosphere, GPS Systems could be in Problem

In the last few years, the number of rockets sent into space by private companies has increased rapidly. One such rocket launched by billionaire Elon Musk’s company SpaceX has created a temporary crater in the ionosphere near the Earth. SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in the US on July 19.

A faint red light is visible in the photos of its launch. Jeff Baumgardner, a space physicist at Boston University, told spaceweather.com that this red light indicates the presence of a crater in the ionosphere. He said, “There is a possibility of this happening when rockets burn their engines 200 to 300 kilometers above the earth’s surface. It is seen that this has happened in the burning of the second stage engine.” The ionosphere at the edge of space is full of charged particles called ions. The ionosphere is important because it modifies radio waves used in communication and navigation. Due to formation of pothole in it, GPS systems can be affected and the accuracy of location can change by a few feet.

SpaceX’s website states that Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket and is used for the safe transport of people and payloads to Earth’s orbit and beyond. It is the world’s first orbital class reusable rocket. This rocket has made 240 launches and 198 landings.

There is a possibility of increasing damage to the ionosphere due to powerful rockets sent into space and this will have a negative impact on GPS. Due to its low weight, Falcon 9 was launched along a vertical path rather than parallel to the Earth’s surface. This created a shockwave, resulting in a crater in the plasma of the ionosphere. Even before this, such an incident has happened during the launch of this rocket. For this reason, private space companies need to be more cautious in launching their rockets.