Felix Baumgartner (German: [felɪks baʊmɡaːɐtnəʁ]; born 20 April 1969) is an Austrian skydiver, daredevil and BASE jumper.[1] He set the world record for skydiving an estimated 39 kilometres (24 mi), reaching an estimated speed of 1,357.64 km/h (843.6 mph), or Mach 1.25,[2][3][4] on 14 October 2012, and became the first person to break the sound barrier without vehicular power on his descent.[5][6][7] He is also renowned for the particularly dangerous nature of the stunts he has performed during his career. Baumgartner spent time in the Austrian military where he practiced parachute jumping, including training to land on small target zones.
Baumgartner's most recent project was Red Bull Stratos, in which he jumped to Earth from a helium balloon in the stratosphere on 14 October 2012. As part of this project, he set the altitude record for a manned balloon flight,[8] parachute jump from the highest altitude, and greatest free fall velocity.[9][10][11] [12]