Lift off from the GuianaSpace Center in Kourou,French Guiana happened right on schedule at 7:16 p.m. Eastern DaylightTime (23:16 GMT).

Also on time, both satellitesseparated from the rocket when they were supposed to, with Brasilsat comingfirst about 21 minutes after liftoff and Nilesat about six minutes later.

"Arianespace is very proudto continue to support the telecommunications of Brazil and Egypt," saidJaques Rossignol, Arianespace's chief operating officer.

Brasilsat B4 was made byHughes Space and Communications in the United States and will be operatedby Embratel to provide Brazil with voice and data relay services.

Nilesat 102 was made by theEuropean consortium known as Astrium and will be operated by the Egyptianfirm Nilesat, providing direct broadcast, as well as digital televisionprogramming to users in northern Africa.

Today's launch marked thefifth for Arianespace thisyear and featured the Ariane 4 model that uses two liquid-fueled strap-onboosters added to its first stage.