Total Atmospheric Attenuation Statistics For Leo Mega-Constellations Operating At Q/V Bands

In this paper, the cumulative statistics of total attenuation induced in mega-constellations employing Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites and operating at Q/V bands are investigated. Mega-constellations can offer seamless global coverage employing hundreds or even thousands of satellites. Given the congestion of Ka-band and the need for high data rates, the mega-constellations could operate both for feeder and direct-to-user links at Q/V-bands for downlink and uplink. In this paper, a Walker constellation of 132 satellites is simulated and the total atmospheric attenuation statistics are calculated for three different communication scenarios with the LEO satellites. The scenarios differ on whether the ground station has the ability to track a number of LEO satellites Numerical results for three different locations at Nemea, Greece, Chilbolton, UK and Lagos, Nigeria are presented and commented.