Intelsat works to fix internet outages after satellite loss

Intelsat has restored important satellite communications across the Indian Ocean, Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia-Pacific. These services were disrupted after the sudden failure of the IS-33e satellite, a key part of Intelsat’s network.

On 21 October, Intelsat confirmed the loss of the Boeing-built IS-33e high-throughput satellite (HTS), which was responsible for delivering Ku-band services to various industries, including maritime communications. Intelsat has been working quickly to bring these services back by shifting to other satellites.

KVH’s Quick Response to Service Disruption

KVH, a U.S.-based satellite communications company, partners with Intelsat to provide maritime VSAT services (very small aperture terminal) for ships. When the IS-33e satellite went offline, KVH acted fast to reconnect its customers.

Chris Watson, KVH’s vice president of marketing and communications, shared how the company responded:

“After the IS-33e disruption, we quickly restored service for most of our customers. We used KVH One’s multi-layered and redundant network to switch them to other satellites and adjusted the data flow to prioritize their needs.”

The loss of IS-33e was first noticed on 19 October, and by 21 October, Intelsat confirmed that the satellite was completely lost, possibly due to disintegration in orbit.

Restoring Services with Alternative Satellites

To ensure ships and other users could maintain communications, KVH relied on backup satellites. Intelsat is also working with third-party satellite providers and using its own fleet to fill the gap left by IS-33e. Efforts are ongoing to optimize performance on these alternate systems, ensuring minimal impact on maritime operations.

What Happened to the IS-33e Satellite?

Intelsat has launched an investigation to understand what caused the satellite’s failure. The IS-33e satellite, part of Intelsat’s EpicNG network, was manufactured by Boeing Space Systems. It was launched in August 2016 and entered service in January 2017, operating from 60 degrees East in geostationary orbit.

This satellite was a critical part of Intelsat’s communications infrastructure, providing high-speed Ku-band services across a wide region. Its failure has highlighted the importance of redundancy in satellite networks to prevent long-term outages.

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Moving Forward with Stronger Networks

The Ku-band communications affected by the IS-33e loss are now mostly restored. KVH and Intelsat are focusing on keeping services stable for customers while working to replace the lost capacity.

The IS-33e satellite was a key part of the first-generation EpicNG satellites, which supplemented older models in Intelsat’s fleet. The company’s quick action to shift services demonstrates the strength of backup networks in managing disruptions efficiently.