The Ariane-5 ECA rocket was launched at 8:46 pm (2346 GMT).

The mission was initially scheduled for June 24 but postponed several times for technical reasons.

The launcher is set to release satellite television firm DirecTV's Spaceway 2, which weighs 6.1 tonnes at lift-off, and will enable the company to provide live coverage in the United States.

The other satellite set to be launched is Telkom 2, weighing nearly two tonnes, which is owned by the Indonesian company PT Telkom Indonesia.

Ariane-5 ECA rockets are designed to carry a payload of almost 10 tonnes.

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