Propagation Experiment at Ka-Band in French Guiana: First Year of Measurements

ONERA, the French Aerospace Lab, and CNES, the French Space Agency, are currently running a Ka-band propagation experiment at the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in Kourou (French Guiana). A rain gauge and a beacon receiver able to record the 20.2 GHz beacon signal of the Amazonas 3 satellite have been deployed. The equipment is operational since January 1, 2017, and the duration of the experiment has been set to three years. This letter addresses some results of the first year of measurements (from January 2017 to December 2017). The annual and monthly complementary cumulative distribution functions of rainfall rate and rain attenuation are presented as well as a comparison with the rain attenuation prediction method recommended in ITU-R P.618-13.