Clutter Loss Modeling for Urban Satellite Links via Calibrated Ray-Tracing Simulations at 1.57 GHz

This work presents a physics-based clutter loss model using ray-tracing (RT) technology and measurements to establish an accurate model for satellite communication links in urban scenarios. Clutter loss estimation from measurements alone is hindered by the limited elevation angle range, and the received power threshold may result in the failure to measure relatively large loss values, motivating the use of calibrated RT simulations to extend the dataset. Firstly, the electromagnetic parameters, which are essential inputs for RT, are calibrated by minimizing the root mean square error between simulation and measurement. Subsequently, the calibrated model was then employed for large-scale simulations across diverse satellite geometries, generating extensive clutter loss data under both line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight conditions. Statistical analysis is taken based on the simulation results, which show that clutter loss is well represented by a double-normal distribution, with the mean and standard deviation parameterized as functions of the elevation angle. Compared with the ITU-R P.2108 standard, the proposed model achieves significantly higher prediction accuracy. This work provides a reliable tool for link budget estimation and system-level analysis in urban satellite communications.