{
  "id": 5782133,
  "title": "Researchers report on a solar storm that caused a GPS glitch serious enough to crash self-driving cars",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/researchers-report-on-a-solar-storm-that-caused-a-gps-glitch-serious",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-05T13:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/tech/researchers-report-on-a-solar-storm-that-caused-a-gps-glitch-serious-enough-to-crash-self-driving-cars"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Earth is constantly bombarded with solar radiation, but sometimes intense bursts called solar flares can interfere with our ground infrastructure through secondary magnetic field ripples. A research team from the US has documented the damage caused by a powerful solar superstorm on November 11, 2025, which hit the highest level on the scale used to measure these storms. This superstorm caused unprecedented disruption in Earth's upper atmosphere (ionosphere) and was widely distributed across the US, affecting GPS positioning systems by up to 10 meters (33 feet) in certain areas. Such GPS errors of just 1-2 meters (3.3-6.6 feet) can have catastrophic consequences for precision agriculture and autonomous vehicles. While the study does not specifically address incidents with self-driving cars or farming machinery, the researchers emphasize the potential severe damage and harm that could have occurred during peak farming season. A 2024 solar storm was estimated to have cost the US agriculture industry approximately $500 million. The primary concern for the researchers is the scientific aspects of the storm, but they also note that during the main farming season, the damage could have been significantly worse. While the risk of direct health harm to people is minimal, those in airplanes near the ionosphere might experience radiation bursts equivalent to several X-ray scans. However, these events are accompanied by breathtaking auroras at the northern and southern poles. The researchers stress the importance of improving scientific prediction models and upgrading hardware protections to mitigate the impact of such solar storms on our infrastructure and technological systems.",
  "summary": "The solar storm that hit Earth last November was more severe than most, and we need to be prepared for the next one.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}