Expediting Lunar Exploration: A study of 5G mmWave Communications for Upcoming Human Missions on the Moon – Relationship between Transmit Power, Antenna Height, and Pathloss Exponent

This study introduces the use of a Lunar Digital Elevation Model (LDEM) map of the connecting ridge of the south pole for the characterization of radio signals in the 5G mmWave frequency communication systems over the lunar surface. Wireless Insite (WI) was used as the simulation software for this investigation. Simulation results indicate that while antenna height significantly influences path loss exponent (PLE), with higher elevations leading to greater signal attenuation, transmit power (20dBm, 30dBm, 40dBm) shows a nonlinear relationship with PLE. The results spanning multiple transmitters (Tx1 to Tx4), revealed another trend of analysis regarding the PLE values on the lunar surface compared to terrestrial PLE established parameters.