A tool for synthesizing rain attenuation time series in LEO Earth observation satellite downlinks at Ka band

Rapidly increasing requirements for Earth Observation (EO) data via Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites push operation of the corresponding systems to higher frequency bands and particularly the Ka band, where more spectrum is available but atmospheric effects combined with the motion of the LEO satellite form a new propagation environment. Unfortunately, due to the lack of available experimental data, it seems difficult to characterize this new propagation environment. Therefore, similar to recent modeling efforts, in this work we rely on mature ideas coming from fixed geostationary (GEO) satellite channels operating in the same band making reasonable assumptions and modifications along the course. Specifically, the purpose of this contribution is to provide a tool for synthesizing rain attenuation time series in LEO EO satellite downlinks at Ka band.