The idea that Porygon2 are some sort of poorly designed flightless spaceship is too absurd to be believed, yet it has spread far and wide. Although it is true that they need not breathe air and could theoretically survive in the vacuum of space, Porygon2 lack many things necessary to be effective space probes. Flight, however, is not one of them; they must merely use their strange Conversion technique against the right pokemon in order to take to the skies.
The reason this misconception has held out for so long is a tale in its own right. The scientists who developed on the Up-Grade were a secretive group who feared a repeat of the death threats against the original Porygon's creator, so they gave a false story to the media in order to divert public attention. This ought to have been corrected by now, but many researchers share the general public's phobia of all Porgyon forms, owing to an early Porygon's role in a tragic laboratory accident which hospitalized hundreds. With no interest in meeting one, let alone studying it, they carelessly repeated this lie through countless earlier editions of the Pokedex.
It has now become apparent that Porygon2's real purpose was not the exploration of outer space, but of cyberspace. A search engine on steroids, they delve through the Internet's past and present, read virtually every language, and synthesize the information as well as a supercomputer or an Alakazam. Porygon2 have been responsible for the invention of many new technologies, most notably the armor called Eviolite. More interestingly, they have recently discovered a network in a language too strange for them to translate, with lag times far longer than their technological level would justify, leading many to speculate that Porygon2 have found a truly alien civilization after all.