Telstar 11N is designed to be a Ku-band satellite with a North American beam that covers the US (as far West as Denver, Colorado), Central America, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean; a European beam that covers all of Europe and parts of North Africa; an African beam that covers the majority of the sub-Saharan continent, with focused power over South Africa and a majority of West Africa.

Telstar 11N has the capability to provide service within each coverage region or between coverage regions. The New Telstar 11 also features an Atlantic Ocean beam connected to the North American beam and was replacing the aging Telstar-11 satellite.

Telstar 11N was constructed by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) and was based on the SS/L 1300 platform which provides flexibility for a broad range of applications. The satellite weighing about 4,012 kg (8,845 lb) was launched on February 27th 2009 on a Zenit 3LB rocket. Launch operator Sea Launch provided mission management with its Land Launch partner, Space International Services, Ltd. (SiS).