Elon Musk's SpaceX Rocket Launch Possibly Caused Temporary 'Hole' In Ionosphere, Says Expert

A recent launch by Elon Musk‘s space exploration company SpaceX has caused a temporary hole in the Earth’s ionosphere, Newsweek reports.

Space Phenomenon

The Falcon 9 rocket, which was launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, left a faint red glow in the sky, a sign of the ionospheric hole.

“This is a well-studied phenomenon when rockets are burning their engines 200 to 300 km [around 120 to 190 miles] above Earth’s surface,” said space physicist Jeff Baumgardner.

“It shows the second stage engine burning at 286 km [178 miles] near the F-region peak for that time of day. So, it is quite possible that an ionospheric ‘hole’ was made.”

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Implications and Future Concerns

The ionosphere, filled with charged particles, is where space begins. Fast-moving rockets and their exhaust fumes can alter the ionization of the ionosphere, potentially impacting GPS systems.

“Human are entering an era that rocket launches are becoming usual and frequent due to reduced cost by reusable rockets,” said Charles C.H. Lin of the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan.

“These two factors will gradually affect the middle and upper atmosphere more, and that is worthwhile to pay some attention to.”

Previous Incidents

This is not the first time a Falcon 9 launch has caused such a phenomenon. Similar incidents occurred in 2017 and June 2022, with the latter creating a California-sized hole in the ionosphere.

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Image: Created with artificial intelligence on MidJourney and Official SpaceX Photos on Flickr