Felix Baumgartner's supersonic freefall from 128k' - Mission Highlights

A man fell to Earth from more than 24 miles high Sunday, becoming the first human to break the sound barrier under his own power — with some help from gravity. The 43-year-old leapt from a capsule more than 39 kilometres above the Earth, reaching a top speed of 833.9 miles per hour (1342km/h), or 1.24 times the speed of sound, according to organisers.Red Bull Stratos, a project five years in the making, will finally take flight today. Skydiver Felix Baumgartner will fall from near-space about 23 miles above the Earth’s surface, breaking the speed of sound in the process. He will be the first free-falling human to break the sound barrier. Baumgartner will also collect three other world records: highest manned balloon flight, highest altitude jump (both will be 120,000 feet) and longest time in free fall (about five-and-a-half minutes). The team’s plan to launch this week has been delayed by windy conditions, but the team hopes today will be the day. Follow our live updates below by refreshing your browser; all times are EST.The veteran skydiver was in freefall for four minutes and 20 seconds before opening his red and white parachute and floating down to the desert in the US state of New Mexico, said Red Bull Stratos mission record keeper Brian Utley.Mission control erupted in cheers as Baumgartner sprung from the capsule hoisted aloft by a giant helium-filled balloon to an altitude of 128,097 feet (39,044 metres), even higher than expected. "It was way harder than I expected. I think 20 tonnes have fallen from my shoulders. I prepared for this for seven years," he told German-language ServusTV in Austria in his first interview after the leap.