Exploiting Numerical Weather Prediction Data for Radiopropagation Modeling of SatCom Links

Propagation data based on numerical weather prediction (NWP) models are not mature for an operational use in applications such as adaptive fade mitigation in SatCom systems. However, these datasets are useful in the design and system simulation stage. In the framework of the RadioSatMet ESA-founded project, we have developed a software tool that includes a parametric radiopropagation model (PRM) for Earth-to-space links based on NWP data for the atmospheric channel assessment. We run the tool and generated 28-days time series of path attenuation components over a large continental area. Here we describe the NWP+PRM modeling chain and compare the synthetic path attenuation data obtained by our tool with beacon measurements collected during the Alphasat experiment.