Timing synchronization for a beam hopping satellite

A system comprising:

• a satellite switching instant generator to generate satellite switching instants according to a Beam Hopping Time Plan (BHTP);
• a gateway switching instant generator to generate gateway switching instants according to the BHTP;
• a transceiver to transmit a channel addressed to a plurality of beams hopped according to the BHTP based on the gateway switching instants, wherein each of the plurality of beams comprises a signal comprising timing markers and a guard period at an end of the signal for the respective beam;
• an adjustment period determiner
• to receive a synchronization information, without a loopback beam, for one of the plurality of beams, and
• to determine an adjustment period and an adjusted symbol rate for the generating of the gateway switching instants, based on the synchronization information, for a transmission of the channel such that at least a portion of the guard period in a respective signal for a respective beam aligns with one of the satellite switching instants;
• and
• a switching instant adjustor to adjust a timing and a symbol rate of the transmission according to the adjustment period and the adjusted symbol rate, respectively.

A method for estimating timing adjustments for time synchronization of satellite switching instants with gateway switching instants, the method comprising:

• providing a beam hopping unit to hop a channel signal among multiple beams according to a Beam Hopping Time Plan (BHTP);
• transmitting the channel signal comprising a Beam Hopping Forward Synchronization Pattern (BHF SP) comprising timing markers;
• hopping the channel signal with the beam hopping unit;
• receiving a correlation length that indicates a correlation of a guard to a RX signal received at a receiver, wherein the RX signal corresponds to a portion of the channel signal;
• and
• iteratively reducing the correlation length by adjusting a timing of a channel signal transmission.