Deteriorating weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Centre saw the first manned space mission from American soil in nine years abandoned just minutes before lift off.
Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken were in the final 17 minutes of the countdown of the SpaceX Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station when the launch was aborted.
Fears of thunderstorms in the skies above Florida forced controllers to stop the mission, which would have been the first by the US since the Space Shuttle programme was ended in 2011.
A second attempt will be made to launch what would also have been the first commercial space flight on Saturday
The SpaceX Dragon and Falcon rocket were developed by a private company owned by billionaire Elon Musk to provide a commercial “taxi service" to the ISS for the American space agency Nasa.
The timing of the launch window was crucial in order for the astronauts to dock with the space station as its orbit carried it overhead in Florida.
SpaceX is one of two US companies who have won Nasa contracts to fly astronauts to the ISS and hoped it had beaten the rival Boeing Starliner in the race to put America back in space.
It is the final step in certification needed to operate long-term manned missions to space.
Mr Behnken and Mr Hurley were chosen by Nasa to be astronauts in 2000.
They have each flown twice into orbit on space shuttle missions, but this is the first time they have worked together on a mission.
Mr Hurley, the spacecraft commander in charge of the launch, landing and recovery of the vehicle, was a fighter pilot in the US Marine Corps.
Mr Behnken, who will serve as the mission's joint operations commander and take responsibility for the rendezvous, was a flight test engineer with the US Air Force.
The pair were wearing spacesuits designed by SpaceX and a Hollywood costume designer.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
