RF analysis at K band of a radome-covered ground station at polar latitudes

Abstract

X-band for Earth Observation (EO) is becoming very congested and this aspect induced the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to reorganize the frequency allocations in use. The allocation of the 26-GHz band (i.e. 25.5 to 27 GHz) for the downlink, available for the first time for EO applications, allows for collecting a large amount of data. However, considering that several EO missions fly along polar orbits, a ground station (GS) installed at polar latitudes, where high-speed winds, low temperatures and precipitations particularly austere are normal, is fundamental to exploit all the satellite passages. For this reason, the use of radome structures to protect the GS against the environmental conditions is mandatory. This paper addresses the exploitation of the 26-GHz band for future EO satellites, namely the NASA/NOAA JPSS-1 satellite and the EUMETSAT Metop-SG satellite, with specific regard to the RF analysis, of European Space Agency (ESA) GS to be installed in Svalbard. In particular, since the use of the 26-GHz band for GSs located at polar latitudes is a complete novelty, special attention is paid to the G/T analysis and the radome performance.