Europe's Ariane 5 rocket launched for the 100th take-off

A European-made rocket will take off Tuesday from French Guiana for the 100th time, in a symbolic landmark for its manufacturer, which is under increasing pressure from Elon Musk's SpaceX program.

The Ariane 5 will take off from the Caribbean launch site at 18:53 (21:53 GMT), propelling two communications satellites into orbit.

In service for over two decades and able to propel heavy loads into the sky, Ariane 5 has become the stellar European space launch vehicle under the direction of the European Space Agency (ESA).

But it will soon be replaced by an updated model, the Ariane 6 model, whose production will be estimated at 40% cheaper.

This is partly in response to the arrival of SpaceX on the commercial space flight scene, with its reusable Falcon 9 rocket that could reduce emissions from its competitors.

SpaceX outperformed European automaker Arianespace in terms of number of launches for two consecutive years.

"We have to face unprecedented competition," told AFP Stephane Israel, director of Arianespace.

Since its launch in 1996, Ariane 5 has put 205 satellites into orbit, including for the European GPS Galileo system.