Riding together inside the nose cone of an Ariane 5 rocket, Azerbaijan's first satellite and a Spanish-owned spacecraft to beam television and Internet services to Latin America launched into orbit Thursday from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana.

The satellites blasted off at 2136 GMT (4:36 p.m. EST) from the Guiana Space Center, a European-run launch base on the northeast coast of South America.

Rocketing through scattered thin clouds, the 166-foot-tall Ariane 5 launcher broke the speed of sound in less than a minute and rose into sunlight over the tropical space base, where the sun was setting.

The rocket shed its two solid-fueled boosters, payload fairing and cryogenic first stage as it raced across the Atlantic Ocean before deploying the Amazonas 3 and Azerspace/Africasat 1a satellites over Africa about a half-hour after liftoff.

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Today's launch marks the 54th consecutive success for the Ariane 5 rocket since 2003.

Separation of the Azerspace/Africasat 1a satellite is confirmed. Azerbaijan's first satellite is starting a 15-year service life to serve the country's government and customers in Africa.

Plus+34 minutes. The Sylda dual-payload adapter has jettisoned, setting the stage for separation of Azerspace/Africasat 1a at Plus+34 minutes, 42 seconds.

Separation of the Amazonas 3 satellite confirmed, beginning a 15-year mission for Hispasat of Madrid. Amazonas 3 will broadcast video and Internet services to Latin America, bringing broadband to underprivileged communities.

Plus+25 minutes, 30 seconds. The rocket's second stage shut down as scheduled.

Plus+24 minutes. The rocket is surpassing a speed of 20,000 mph. Shutdown of the upper stage is about a minute from now.

Plus+21 minutes. The upper stage will shut down at Plus+25 minutes, 14 seconds, after reaching a target orbit with a low point of 154 miles, a high point of 22,236 miles, and an inclination of 6 degrees.

Plus+19 minutes. The cryogenic HM7B engine continues to functional well.

Plus+17 minutes. Altitude is 152 km and velocity is 8.11 km/s. After intentionally losing altitude in order to gain speed, the Ariane 5 is now climbing again.

Plus+12 minutes. This upper stage engine burn will last more than 16 minutes.

Plus+9 minutes, 28 seconds. The main cryogenic stage's Vulcain engine has cut off and the spent stage has separated. It will fall back into the atmosphere prior to completing an orbit of Earth.

And the upper stage's HM7B engine is now firing to inject the Amazonas 3 and Azerspace/Africasat 1a satellites into orbit.

Plus+8 minutes. Now in range of a communications station in Natal, Brazil, the launcher is about to shut down its first stage and ignite its cryogenic upper stage.

Plus+7 minutes, 30 seconds. Altitute is 162 km and velocity is 5.09 km/s.

Plus+3 minutes, 30 seconds. Separation of the rocket's nose cone has been confirmed. The Ariane 5 core stage will continue burning until about Plus+9 minutes into the mission.

Plus+2 minutes, 30 seconds. The solid rocket boosters have been jettisoned from the Ariane 5 rocket's core stage. The liquid-fueled Vulcain 2 main engine continues to fire to propel the vehicle and its satellite payload to space.

Plus+60 seconds. The vehicle is on the proper heading as it rides the power of the twin solid rocket boosters and main stage liquid-fueled engine.

Liftoff of an Ariane 5 rocket, lifting payloads to serve Azerbaijan and Latin America.

Minus-1 minute. A fast-paced series of events leading to launch will begin at Minus-37 seconds when the automated ignition sequence is started. The water suppression system at the launch pad will start at Minus-30 seconds. At Minus-22 seconds, overall control will be given to the onboard computer. The Vulcain main engine will be readied for ignition with hydrogen chilldown starting at Minus-18 seconds.

The residual hydrogen burn flares will fire beneath the Vulcain engine at Minus-6 seconds to burn away any free hydrogen gas. At Minus-3 seconds, onboard systems take over and the two inertial guidance systems go to flight mode. Vulcain main engine ignition occurs at Minus-0 seconds with checkout between Plus+4 and 7 seconds. If there are no problems found, the solid rocket boosters are ignited at Plus+7.0 seconds for liftoff at Plus+7.3 seconds.

Minus-2 minutes. The Vulcain main engine supply valves are being opened. And the ground valves for engine chilldown are being closed.

Minus-3 minutes. The scheduled launch time has been loaded into the rocket's main computer system. The main stage tank pressures should now be at flight level.

Minus-4 minutes. Pressurization is now underway for the main cryogenic stage's liquid oxygen and hydrogen tanks. Also, final pyrotechnic arming is starting.

Minus-5 minutes. All status panel lights remain green, indicating no problems right now that could prevent an on-time blastoff.

Minus-6 minutes. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen supplies of the main cryogenic stage are being verified at flight level. Also, the pyrotechnic line safety barriers are being armed.

Minus-7 minutes and counting. The synchronized sequence has started. Computers are now in control of this automated final phase of the launch countdown to prepare the rocket and ground systems for liftoff. There are three computers running the countdown - one aboard the Ariane 5 and two redundant computers at the launch complex.

Minus-10 minutes. The synchronized launch sequence will begin in three minutes.

Minus-12 minutes. All parameters, including weather and technical readiness, are reporting green on the status board inside the Jupiter control room at the Guiana Space Center.

Minus-20 minutes. The Synchronized Sequence is being prepped for activation. This computer-run sequence assumes control of the countdown at the Minus-7 minute mark to perform the final tasks to place the rocket and pad systems in launch configuration.

At Minus-4 seconds, the rocket's onboard computer will take over control of main engine start, health checks of the powerplant and solid rocket booster ignition commanding for liftoff.

Minus-35 minutes. Today's launch will carry Azerbaijan's first satellite into orbit and deliver a Spanish satellite to broadcast television and Internet to Latin America.

It will take nearly 35 minutes to inject the satellites, which have a combined mass of approximately 21,032 pounds. Get an overview of the launch sequence.

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Minus-60 minutes. All parameters continue to look good for launch in one hour. A communications check between ground stations and the rocket should be concluding now.

Here are some statistics on today's launch:

• 212th Ariane rocket launch since 1979
• 68th Ariane 5 launch since 1996
• 39th Ariane 5 ECA launch since 2002
• 7th Spanish satellite launched on Ariane
• 1st Azerbaijani satellite ever launched
• 1st launch from Guiana Space Center in 2013
• 1st Ariane 5 launch in 2013

Minus-90 minutes. The Ariane 5's first and second stages are now loaded with cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants.

The fluids are stored at super-cold temperatures and naturally boil off in the warm tropical atmosphere in French Guiana. More propellant is slowly pumped into the rocket for most of the countdown to replenish the cryogenic fuel.

The topping sequence ends in the final few minutes of the countdown as the fuel tanks are pressurized and the fueling system is secured.

With the rocket now fully fueled for launch, the vehicle weighs 1.7 million pounds.

Check out these photos of yesterday's rollout of the Ariane 5 rocket from its final assembly building to the ELA-3 launch zone.

The workhorse launcher arrived at the launch pad Wednesday afternoon after a 1.7-mile journey on rail tracks.

An Ariane 5 rocket is set to launch on another dual-payload mission Thursday with a communications satellite to broadcast television and high-speed Internet services to Latin America and the first satellite for Azerbaijan.

The two-stage launcher, fitted with a pair of powerful solid rocket boosters, rolled from its final assembly building to the ELA-3 launch zone Wednesday at the Guiana Space Center, a European-run spaceport on the northeast coast of South America.

Liftoff from the tropical launch base is set for 2136 GMT (4:36 p.m. EST at the opening of a 44-minute window. The 166-foot-tall Ariane 5 rocket, launching for the 68th time, will ferry two satellites into orbit.

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