New RFI Threats for Future Microwave Sounders:Development of new RFI Detection Strategies for 5G signals

NOAA's current operational LEO weather satellites operate microwave sounders that provide crucial measurements to produce weather forecasting worldwide. Weather forecasts are determined by meteorological models using measurements performed by the microwave Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) from S-NPP, NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 under the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) program. Two others will launch in 2027 (J4) and 2032 (J3). The Near Earth Observing Network (NEON) program, the follow-on to JPSS, will run from 2030-2050 and plans to launch 9 Sounders for Microwave-Based Applications (SMBA). Among the new features, SMBA will include hyperspectral capability and RFI detection capability. The recent development of 5G wireless technology could impact weather forecasts since the frequency range used by 5G signals is close to frequencies used for atmospheric temperature and water vapor sounding. Even though 5G signals might not emit directly at the frequencies of the window and temperature sounding channels, signal leakage into adjacent science frequencies can create Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). This work focuses on understanding 5G signal structure and developing a new RFI detection strategy. The detection method is developed for an ideal case assuming 5G signal emission within the science frequency band, with the main purpose of evaluating the potential of this new method to detect 5G signals