Egypt has launched its first communication satellite into orbit, the Cabinet said late on Tuesday, a step government officials say will improve communications infrastructure, internet services and attract investment.

Launched on an Ariane 5 rocket, the satellite was initially scheduled to be launched last Friday, but the launch was postponed due to a malfunction in the power supply to the launching platform.

It was then rescheduled to be launched on Monday before being postponed again for 24 hours.

Mohamed El-Qousy, head of the Egyptian Space Agency, said on Monday that the decision to postpone the launch was due to weather conditions and the wind.

The 5.6-metric ton satellite was launched on one of Europe's Arianespace rockets from a space center in French Guiana.

Made by Airbus and Thales Alenia Space (TAS), it will remain in orbit for at least 15 years to provide "every inch" of Egypt with call and internet services, state officials said. It will be operational within three months of the launch.

(With input from Reuters and Xinhua News Agency)