An Ariane-5 rocket launcher takes offFriday Oct.13, 2006 at the Kourou space center, French Guiana.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Photo Gallery>>>PARIS, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The Ariane-5 ECA carrying British and Indian satellites on Sunday successfully blasted off in its first mission this year after a short delay due to technical problems.

Arianespace, the commercial arm of the 13-country European Space Agency, launched the rocket at 2203 GMT from the Kourou launch pad in French Guiana. The European rocket carried the British defense ministry Skynet 5A satellite and India's Insat 4B communications satellite into orbit.

On Saturday the rocket's scheduled launch was cancelled seven minutes ahead blastoff as technicians experienced problems with the flow of water coolant when they began fuelling it with liquid oxygen and hydrogen, Arianespace said.

The launch was the 31st mission for the rocket.

The Skynet 5A, operated by a private company, will provide secure communications services for the British armed forces, NATO and other nations. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) satellite Insat 4B will be primarily used to offer television and telecommunications services to the Indian subcontinent.