Remembering AMC-9

On June 17, 2017, SES’ AMC-9 spacecraft experienced a catastrophic failure, leading to the ultimate test of our multi-satellite Select Network. Although it’s never convenient to reconfigure satellite equipment, the level of redundancy built into our Select Network meant that no customers were left disconnected during this significant event.

IP Access was able to provide customers with a seamless, uninterrupted move to our West Coast teleport and access to Intelsat’s Galaxy 18 communications satellite – providing a coverage area across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The failure of the AMC-9 spacecraft last year reinforced the core capabilities that the Select Network has been providing since its inception:

  • Redundancy at every level of the network
  • Full IP address portability between satellites and teleport
  • Protection against regional disasters and infrastructure disruptions
  • Can be immediately restored to an always-on alternate ground facility and/or satellite
  • User-controlled repoint to the alternate network without the need to reconfigure the modem, customer LAN, or contact the NOC

IP Access and SES quickly migrated our East Coast satellite network to the SES-2 spacecraft which has provided excellent performance.

Only IP Access provides on-demand access to multiple satellites served by multiple teleports. This capability has become a key requirement for public safety and emergency response deployments where downtime simply is not an option.