Modeling and Characterization of Broadband Earth-Moon-Earth Communication Channels
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摘要: 地月地(EME, Earth-Moon-Earth)通信长期以来是业余无线电爱好者开展远程通信实验的重要方式。传统EME通信系统多以低速率、窄带体制为主，主要用于摩尔斯电码、单边带语音或窄带数字通信模式(如JT65、FT8等)。这类系统在频谱利用率和数据传输速率方面存在明显限制，难以满足更高传输速率和宽带通信的需求。本文面向更高速率的宽带场景，从大尺度衰落与小尺度衰落两个层面提出了一种较为完整的宽带EME信道模型。大尺度衰落方面，基于双站雷达理论，建立了适用于不同波束宽度和高增益天线条件下的雷达散射截面分布(RCS)，并提出路径损耗的统一积分模型；同时，结合月球表面不规则地形特征分析了阴影效应的形成机制，并由此提出EME信道的阴影衰落模型。小尺度衰落方面，针对宽带系统中显著的时延扩展问题，结合月面散射特性，提出了融合准镜面反射与漫散射效应的分段式多径模型；同时进一步考虑地月轨道运动，系统构建了多普勒频移与扩展模型。数值分析表明，相比于传统路径损耗建模，所提路径损耗统一积分模型能够更加准确刻画窄波束引起的对月照射面积缩减及月表地形分布对链路损失的影响。仿真结果显示，宽带场景下存在的严重多径扩展导致现有均衡方案几乎失效，严重制约通信性能。相比之下，多普勒效应变化缓慢、扩展较小，现有校正算法能够有效补偿其影响，对通信性能的制约相对较弱。Abstract:
Objective This paper presents a comprehensive channel model for wideband Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) communication, tackling the shortcomings of traditional simplified models that cannot accurately represent the Moon’s complex scattering behavior and terrain-induced effects. Existing approaches, which treat the Moon as a point reflector or depend on empirical scattering laws, are inadequate for broadband, high-capacity systems. To address this, a unified large-scale link model is proposed to statistically capture terrain-driven reflection characteristics, while a small-scale model systematically analyzes multipath and Doppler effects, decomposing the channel and quantifying dynamic impairments. Link-level simulations validate the model’s accuracy. This work fills a critical gap in broadband EME channel modeling, providing a necessary foundation for the design and optimization of future deep space communication systems. Methods A dual-scale modeling approach is proposed for wideband Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) channels. At the large scale, a unified integral path loss model is developed for both wide- and narrow-beam scenarios, with lunar terrain statistically represented by a Gaussian height distribution to capture shadowing and roughness effects. A distributed integration method is used to compute effective RCS under narrow-beam conditions. At the small scale, the channel is decomposed into quasi-specular and diffuse components, with delay-power profiles derived from surface roughness and scattering mechanisms. Doppler shift and spread are analytically modeled based on Earth-Moon orbital dynamics. Monte Carlo simulations and numerical integration verify the models, and system-level performance is evaluated in terms of BER under various channel conditions with different equalization and frequency offset correction schemes. Results and Discussions A comprehensive channel model is developed to capture both large- and small-scale fading in wideband Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) communication. The large-scale model, validated by simulations, accurately represents the non-uniform power distribution across the lunar disk through an integrated RCS approach. At the small scale, quasi-specular and diffuse components characterize multipath delay spread, while the Doppler model quantifies effects from Earth’s rotation and lunar orbital motion, with a two-way shift of ～4.5 kHz and a spread of ±39.88 Hz at 1.296 GHz. Low-SNR simulations show that conventional equalizers (LMS, RLS, RAKE) stagnate near BER = 0.1, and frequency correction methods (FFT-based, MLE) degrade under large frequency offsets, highlighting the challenges of accurate compensation. Conclusions This paper develops and validates a comprehensive channel model for broadband Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) communication. The model more accurately predicts path loss, shadowing, multipath delay, and Doppler effects than conventional point-target or empirical methods. Results show that lunar terrain and surface properties cause severe signal degradation, which traditional equalization and frequency correction cannot effectively mitigate. Future work should integrate high-resolution lunar DEMs and measured RCS data to improve accuracy and explore adaptive methods, such as machine learning, to handle severe delay spread. This model offers a foundation for reliable EME links and future deep-space communication networks. -
Key words:
- EME /
- Path loss /
- Radar cross section /
- Multipath channel /
- Doppler effect
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