Ariane rocket launches two satellites

KOUROU, French Guiana (Reuters) - An Ariane-5 rocket blasted off from French Guiana on Friday and put into orbit two telecommunications satellites built by U.S.-based Orbital Sciences Corp., Ariane space officials said.

The rocket was launched from Europe's space base in Kourou, on the northeast coast of South America, at 7:02 p.m. (2202 GMT).

Twenty-seven minutes after the launch, the rocket released into a preliminary orbit Intelsat 11, a 2.5 tonne satellite for U.S.-based international operator Intelsat, the officials said in a video transmission.

It is designed for television and data transmissions throughout Latin America.

Five minutes later, the rocket released into space Optus D2 for the Australian satellite operator Optus, the officials said. This satellite will provide television, internet and data transmissions to Australia and New Zealand.

Friday's launch was the 20th consecutive success for the Ariane-5 series.