MEO Satellite Ka-band Receiving Stations for Tropospheric Propagation Impairment Analysis: Design, Architecture and Preliminary Measurements

The evolution of telecommunication systems is shifting towards the higher portion of the microwave spectrum to achieve higher data rate as well as to non-geosynchronous orbit (non-GSO) satellites. The use of frequency at Ka band and above can be very challenging due to the non-negligible effects of the atmosphere, but also the exploitation of medium-Earth orbit (MEO) and low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite needs to tackle the dynamical angular behavior of the channel itself. This paper describes the architecture and preliminary measurements of the Italian receivers for the ESA-funded MEKaP (MEO Ka-band Propagation) experimentation. The activity involves several partners, such as Politecnico di Milano, Sapienza Università di Roma, Instituto de Telecomunicações-Aveiro Pole, and Thales Alenia Space - Italia. A total of four receivers (three in Italy and one in Portugal) will create a network of Ka-band shared data with the main objectives of characterizing the MEO-satellite tropospheric propagation impairments for co-polarized as well as cross-polarized channels. We describe the detailed architecture of the MeKaP twin receiving stations in Rome and Milan, sharing the same design, and on the preliminary measurements acquired and post-processed thanks to the overall effort of the MaKaP international research group.