Effect of LoS and NLoS Propagations on Coverage Performance of LEO Satellite Networks

In this paper, we analyze the effect of line-of-sight (LoS) and non-line-of-sight (NLoS) propagation on low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication in terms of coverage probability. In particular, we adopt a LoS ball model to capture the characteristics of LoS and NLoS propagation. We obtain the coverage probability and compare it under various envrionments. Simulation results demonstrate that only NLoS environment is more efficient to improve the coverage probability compared to only LoS environment. This study provides some insights for construction of LEO satellite networks with consideration of the altitude or density of satellite networks.