A NASA-sponsored sounding rocket mission launched from Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska on April 14, 2019, to study what causes disruptions to radio waves in Earth's ionosphere. The mission, called the Arctic Mesosphere and Thermosphere Experiment-2 (AMTEX-2), will investigate how neutral and charged gases interact to produce turbulent structures that can disrupt radio communications and navigation systems.

"AMTEX-2 will help us better understand how the space weather environment near Earth can cause problems for our technology," said Dr. Tony Bania, director of NASA's Heliophysics Division. "This knowledge will help us develop techniques to mitigate these problems and ensure the reliability of our communications and navigation systems."

The AMTEX-2 payload includes a suite of instruments designed to measure the temperature, density, and composition of the neutral and charged gases in the ionosphere. These instruments will also measure the electric and magnetic fields in the region.

The rocket will reach an altitude of about 160 miles (260 kilometers) and will spend about 10 minutes collecting data in the ionosphere. The data from the mission will be used to create models that can help scientists better understand the dynamics of the ionosphere and predict when and where disruptions are most likely to occur.

AMTEX-2 is a collaboration between NASA, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the University of California, Berkeley. The mission is funded by NASA's Heliophysics Division.