Ariane rocket launch set for Monday

PARIS (Reuters) - An Ariane rocket carrying a British military satellite and a Brazilian telecommunications satellite will be launched on Monday from French Guiana after a technical problem delayed Friday's send off, the Arianespace rocket launch company said.

In a statement issued from the company's launch site in Kourou on the northeast coast of South America, the company said: "Following the testing and replacement of an equipment component on the launch vehicle, Arianespace has authorized a restart of the final countdown for its mission."

The Ariane-5 heavy lift rocket is now slated for launch with a window beginning at 2206 GMT.

It will carry Skynet 5B, a military communications satellite for Britain's Ministry of Defence, and Star One C1, a satellite for Brazil's telecoms operator Embratel.

(Editing by Janet Lawrence)