A European Ariane 5 rocket launched from French Guiana Friday, succeeding on its first flight in nearly a year to deploy a pair of geostationary communications satellites for commercial operators in Brazil and France.

The launch was a key test of the Ariane 5 rocket ahead of a flight later this year to send the James Webb Space Telescope toward its observation post nearly a million miles from Earth.

Thomas Zurbuchen, head of NASA’s science mission directorate, attended the launch Friday in French Guiana.

EDT (2100 GMT; 6 p.m. French Guiana time) with Embratel’s Star One D2 spacecraft and the Eutelsat Quantum satellite.

The Ariane 5’s guidance computer put the rocket on a path east from French Guiana, and the rocket shed its spent booster casings nearly two-and-a-half minutes into the mission.

Arianespace, the French launch services company, confirmed a good orbital injection and separation of both satellites less than 40 minutes after liftoff.

Maxar said in statement after the launch Friday that the Star One D2 satellite was performing as expected after separation from the Ariane 5 rocket.

Star One D2 will execute several thruster firings over the next few weeks to maneuver out of the elongated transfer orbit the Ariane 5 rocket placed it in.

The Eutelsat Quantum spacecraft, built by Airbus in France, rode to orbit in the lower position inside the Ariane 5’s payload shroud.

Like Star One D2, he 7,630-pound (3,461-kilogram) Eutelsat Quantum spacecraft will head into geostationary orbit after separation from the Ariane 5 rocket’s upper stage.

Pascal Homsy, Eutelsat’s chief technical officer, said ground teams established contact with Eutelsat Quantum after launch Friday night.

Live coverage: Ariane 5 rocket launches from French Guiana