Preparation of a CubeSat LEO radio wave propagation campaign at Q and W bands

Summary Due to the congestion of the spectrum and the need for wider bandwidths, ultrahigh throughput satellites (UHTSs) are moving towards the use of higher frequency bands (Q/V and W bands). These frequencies are however severely impaired by atmospheric phenomena causing attenuation, scintillation and depolarization and compromising the quality of service (QoS). In order to study the Earth‐space link, several experimental campaigns have been performed up to the Q band with geostationary (GEO) satellites. This paper introduces a new propagation experiment that will extend the characterization of the Earth‐space channel up to the W band and low Earth orbits (LEOs).