Europe's Ariane 5 rocket lifted off from the Kourou space center in French Guiana on Wednesday for its final flight, carrying two military communications satellites.

The 53-meter rocket left the launch pad at the French spaceport of Kourou for its 117th and final mission at 7:00 pm local time (11:00 pm GMT), according to a live webcast.

"Ariane 5's work is now done, and Ariane 5 has finished on a high note," said Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël.

A French Syracuse 4B satellite and a German Heinrich Hertz (H2Sat) satellite will be deployed on this mission.

Until now, Europe has depended on the Italian Vega rocket for small payloads, the Russian Soyuz rocket for medium payloads and the Ariane 5 rocket for heavy missions.

However, the war in Ukraine has blocked Western access to Russian rockets, and the new-generation Vega C was grounded after its second test flight failed last December.

The Ariane 6 rocket, due to succeed Ariane 5, has been postponed until 2024 due to technical delays.

The first Ariane 6 test flight is scheduled for late 2023, depending on the results of tests scheduled for this summer. Its first commercial flight is scheduled for next year.

The European space agency is seeking to retain a key role in space, while its Ariane rocket, a pioneer in commercial satellite launches, is now facing competition from the privately-owned American group SpaceX.

(Reported by Tim Hepher and Joey Roulette; French version by Camille Raynaud)