Random access channel occasions associated with a relay

An apparatus for wireless communication at a network node, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• one or more processors, coupled to the memory, configured to:
• transmit, to a relay and via a network node beam, a network node synchronization signal block (SSB), wherein a relay SSB is derived based at least in part on the network node SSB and is transmitted to a user equipment (UE) via a relay beam;
• and
• receive, from the relay and via the network node beam, a preamble during a second random access channel (RACH) occasion that is associated with the network node SSB, wherein the preamble is received by the relay via the relay beam during a first RACH occasion that is associated with the relay SSB.

A method of wireless communication performed by a relay, comprising:

• receiving, from a network node and via a network node beam, a network node synchronization signal block (SSB);
• transmitting, to a user equipment (UE) and via a relay beam, a relay SSB that is based at least in part on the network node SSB;
• receiving, from the UE and via the relay beam, a preamble during a first random access channel (RACH) occasion that is associated with the relay SSB;
• and
• transmitting, to the network node and via the network node beam, the preamble during a second RACH occasion that is associated with the network node SSB.