Solar Storm Drove GPS 33 Feet Off Course, Threatening Self-Driving Cars
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 2
Solar Storm Drove GPS 33 Feet Off Course, Threatening Self-Driving Cars
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 2
Summary
More than 33 feet of GPS error hit parts of the continental United States during a powerful November solar storm, a level researchers said could disrupt autonomous vehicles and other precision navigation systems.
The study traced the problem to an expanded auroral oval that pushed intense upper-atmosphere density gradients southward, distorting satellite radio signals and degrading positioning accuracy for hours.
Brighter auroral activity coincided with worse signal irregularities, suggesting stronger solar events could produce even larger navigation failures for technologies that rely on exact location data.
About $500 million in farm damage was linked to a separate May 2024 solar storm, underscoring the economic risk if a similar event strikes during peak planting or harvest seasons.
The researchers said better space-weather monitoring and physics-based forecasting are needed as autonomous transport, precision agriculture and other RF-dependent systems become more exposed to solar disruptions.