Felix Baumgartner

On 14 October 2012 Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner stepped out of a helium balloon capsule about 39 km above New Mexico and fell at a top speed of 1,357.6 km/h (843.6 mph, Mach 1.25). He became the first person to break the speed of sound without a vehicle.

The first figure released was lower. It was revised upward after Guinness reviewed the data. A higher jump by Alan Eustace in 2014 did not reach this speed.

Context

The Red Bull Stratos mission lifted Baumgartner in a pressurized capsule beneath a large helium balloon from near Roswell, New Mexico. He exited at roughly 39 km, wearing a pressure suit, and the freefall lasted a little over four minutes before his parachute opened.

Records like these are ratified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, which reviews instrument data after the event. The speed was later corrected upward from the first reported figure, which is why the final number is 1,357.6 km/h.

Baumgartner's jump also beat the 1960 leap by U.S. Air Force Captain Joseph Kittinger from about 31 km, which had held the high-altitude parachute jump record for more than five decades. Alan Eustace jumped from a higher altitude in 2014, but his top speed was lower, so the speed record remained with Baumgartner.