Comparison of LEO and LAP channels in Ku Band

The next phase in the low earth orbit (LEO) constellations development cycle is direct access to the UEs. With recent developments in direct satellite access in radio communications, channel measurements for direct satellite access gained importance. Currently, the planned frequency band is the 2 GHz band for direct satellite access. Due to the challenge of deploying a satellite in LEO for channel measurements, we will need to resort to measuring the channel in a different band and use the results as an insight for the 2 GHz band.
During the thesis, you will be tasked with channel measurements in the Ku band using Starlink’s preamble and the channel measurements from a low altitude platform (LAP) using a channel sounder on a drone. Various properties of the channel such as the capacity, delay profile, etc. will be evaluated. Moreover, the similarities and differences between the LEO and the LAP channel will be analyzed to gain insight into the other frequency bands.