HARWELL scientists had to keep their Champagne on ice for another day after a planned NASA rocket launch failed to take off today.

British experts working at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory had a key role in the Solar Dynamics Observatory.

They worked on the electronics inside high-speed cameras aboard the satellite, and will help interpret data coming back.

The space lab, which will send back high-resolution images of the sun 10 times clearer than HD television every three quarters of a second, was due to blast off aboard the Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 3.26pm.

But after an hour’s delay because of strong winds, the launch was delayed until tomorrow.

Sun expert Prof Richard Harrison said: “This is always happening. I remember in Apollo days waiting for launches. It is a fact of life there is always that risk.”

When in space, specialist equipment will look inside the sun at the source of solar activity to help scientists predict solar flares and sun spots, which can affect technology on Earth.

Dr Sarah Beardsley, the laboratory’s project manager, said: “I always wanted to be an astronaut and to go into space, and this is the next best thing.”