A machine-implemented method for uplink power control, the method comprising: receiving, by a receiver at a receiving station, a reference signal from a satellite, the receiving station being either a satellite terminal or a satellite gateway; computing, by a component of the receiver, a filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio based on samples of the received reference signal over a sampling time period; estimating, by the component of the receiver, a downlink fade based on a filtered long-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio and the filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio; when the estimated downlink fade is greater than zero, adjusting, by the receiver, the filtered long-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio toward the filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus interference ratio based, at least partly, on a value of a first time constant; causing the filtered long-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio to converge toward the filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio at a first rate; when the estimated downlink fade is less than zero, adjusting, by the receiver, the filtered long-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus interference ratio toward the filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio based, at least partly, on a value of a second time constant, the value of the second time constant being less than the value of the first time constant, causing the filtered long-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio to converge toward the filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio at a second rate that is faster than the first rate; and adjusting, by the receiving station, the uplink power control based on the adjusted filtered long-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus interference ratio and the filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio. receiving, by a receiver at a receiving station, a reference signal from a satellite, the receiving station being either a satellite terminal or a satellite gateway; computing, by a component of the receiver, a filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio based on samples of the received reference signal over a sampling time period; estimating, by the component of the receiver, a downlink fade based on a filtered long-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio and the filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio; when the estimated downlink fade is greater than zero, adjusting, by the receiver, the filtered long-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio toward the filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus interference ratio based, at least partly, on a value of a first time constant; causing the filtered long-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio to converge toward the filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio at a first rate; when the estimated downlink fade is less than zero, adjusting, by the receiver, the filtered long-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus interference ratio toward the filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio based, at least partly, on a value of a second time constant, the value of the second time constant being less than the value of the first time constant, causing the filtered long-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio to converge toward the filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio at a second rate that is faster than the first rate; and adjusting, by the receiving station, the uplink power control based on the adjusted filtered long-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus interference ratio and the filtered short-term average downlink signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio.