Felix Baumgartner facts: the Red Bull Stratos jump

Felix Baumgartner facts tell the story of a jump that turned a balloon flight in the stratosphere into one of the most closely watched descents in skydiving history. On 14 October 2012, Baumgartner left a helium balloon above New Mexico, United States, and landed after a descent that lasted about ten minutes.

What happened on the Red Bull Stratos jump?

The Red Bull Stratos jump made Felix Baumgartner the first person to break the sound barrier relative to the surface without vehicular power on his descent. During the jump, he reached an estimated top speed of 1,357.64 kilometres per hour, or Mach 1.25.

Baumgartner deployed his parachute after 4 minutes and 19 seconds of free fall. By the final altitude, he had also broken the unofficial record for the highest manned balloon flight. The jump broke the record for the highest-altitude jump set in 1960 by Joseph Kittinger, who was in radio contact during the jump.

How high did Felix Baumgartner jump?

Felix Baumgartner broke the skydiving exit altitude record at 38,969.3 metres. He left the capsule in the stratosphere at that height before making the descent that ended in New Mexico.

That exit altitude record stood until Alan Eustace broke it two years later. Baumgartner’s jump also became a reference point for high-altitude skydiving because it combined record altitude, extreme speed, and a controlled landing under parachute.

What did the test jumps prove?

Baumgartner first became the third person to safely parachute from a height of over 21.7 kilometres after a test jump on 15 March 2012. On 25 July 2012, he completed a second planned test jump from 29,460 metres.

Those test jumps came before the main Red Bull Stratos descent and showed that the project was building toward the final attempt in measured steps. The main jump followed the same basic sequence: exit, free fall, parachute deployment, and landing.

Why did Red Bull Stratos matter?

Red Bull Stratos verified Baumgartner’s claims through the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. The project also provided data for developing high-performance, high-altitude parachute systems.

Its stated aim was to improve safety for space professionals and potential space tourists. The jump was viewed live by over 9.5 million YouTube users, making the descent itself part of a widely followed public event.

What was the legacy of the jump?

Felix Baumgartner’s descent connected a set of records: the highest-altitude jump, the first supersonic free fall relative to the surface without vehicular power, and a parachute landing after an extreme stratospheric descent. It also preserved Joseph Kittinger’s role in the story through radio contact during the jump, even as Baumgartner surpassed Kittinger’s 1960 altitude mark.

The sequence of test jumps, the final leap from 38,969.3 metres, and the verified results from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale made the Red Bull Stratos mission a landmark in high-altitude skydiving.

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