A novel prediction model of rain attenuation along Earth-space path

Rain attenuation is the dominant propagation impairment for satellite communication systems operating at frequencies above about 10 GHz. In order to guarantee the service quality and reliability for the communication systems, a novel model is proposed to predict the rain attenuation statistics for an average year on Earth-space path. The model has been developed based on the EXCELL rain cell model and the experimental data in the rain attenuation database of ITU-R and ESA. A new rainfall rate adjustment factor is developed and the full rainfall rate probability distribution has been utilized, which is different from the conventional models. Compared with the ITU-R model, new model can provide a better fit to the experimental data and improves the accuracy of rain attenuation prediction.