Munich  - The first of two planned satellites for Germany's defence forces blasted off late Thursday from the European space launch centre outside Kourou, French Guiana, officials said Wednesday.

The satellite separated from its rocket and was placed into orbit about 30 minutes after launch.

The satellites, both weighing 2.5 tons and code-named SatcomBw, will provide communications links to troops in Afghanistan and German Navy vessels in distant seas.

German defence forces already operate sensors from space that can peer through clouds and make radar images of the ground.

Germany's Aerospace Centre DLR near Munich said the first satellite would need a series of tests after its launch around midnight German time.

It is scheduled to go into operation in January. The other satellite is scheduled for launch in March.

The military aims to end its reliance on commercial suppliers of satellite communications and hopes to save money by providing its own telephone system and internet connections to bases.

Late last year, the German military commissioned its reconnaissance satellite system, codenamed SAR-Lupe.

The synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) system uses five satellites that bounce radar pulses off the Earth. (dpa)