The hopes of Michel Fournier to break the world free fall record were shattered when the helium balloon that was supposed to carry him into the stratosphere blew away, leaving the French skydiver on the ground.

The balloon, which was scheduled to take off at around 4:30 a.m. from North Battleford in western Canada's Saskatchewan province, detached from the gondola, leaving the 64-year-old parachutist behind.

It is not the first time that the French adventurer is trying to break this world record. He had two earlier attempts, in 2002 and 2003. The last time, his balloon tore and he had to buy a new one for the next attempt.

This time, he was determined to break four world records at the same time: fastest freefall, longest freefall, highest jump, and highest altitude reached by a man in a balloon.

He prepared carefully for the day when his dream would come true, spending 20 years and $20 million to plan the big event.

With a specially designed suit, and facing temperatures of negative 115 degrees, he was supposed to go on a journey that would have taken him 130,000 feet above Earth. From there, he expected to reach Earth in about 15 minutes, landing about 40 kilometers southwest of North Battleford where a helicopter would have picked him up. But luck was not on his side again.

The mission encountered obstacles from the beginning, with strong winds forcing Fournier to postpone his first attempt to break the records on Monday.

According to Fournier’s official website, his flight crew is trying to recover the lost balloon.