NASA conducted a groundbreaking study during Monday’s total solar eclipse by launching three sounding rockets into the moon’s shadow.

The rockets, part of the Atmospheric Perturbations around Eclipse Path (APEP) mission, aimed to explore how the eclipse affects Earth’s atmosphere, particularly the ionosphere.

Led by Aroh Barjatya from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the rockets were equipped with secondary instruments to measure various data points.

The launches, streamed on YouTube, reached an altitude of 260 miles, similar to the orbit of the International Space Station, the New York Post has reported.

The mission builds on previous findings from the 2023 eclipse, with hopes of further understanding its impact on radio and satellite communications.

This research is crucial as the next total solar eclipse over the US isn’t expected until 2044.

Written by B.C. Begley