An Analytical Model to Predict the Probability

Density Function of Elevation Angles for

LEO Satellite Systems-Based on earth-satellite geometry, an analytical

model is proposed to predict the probability density function

(pdf) of elevation angles from an earth station to a circular

low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. Unlike currently

available empirical models using a great deal of path data for

model-fitting to obtain results applicable only to the specified

systems (for example, the Iridium or Globalstar systems), the

proposed model is fast, exact and provides greater flexibility

for the user-specified satellite systems. The results may help to

develop the LEO satellite communication channel models under

the propagation environments characterized by various empirical

elevation-angle-dependent channel models.