On October 24 , 2014 , Alan Eustace , a former Google executive , made a jump from the stratosphere , breaking Felix Baumgartner 's 2012 world record . The launch-point for his jump was from an abandoned runway in Roswell , New Mexico , where he began his balloon-powered ascent early that morning . He reached a reported maximum altitude of 135,908 feet ( 41.425 km ; 25.7402 mi ) , but the final number submitted to the World Air Sports Federation was 135,889.108 feet ( 41.419000 km ; 25.7365735 mi ) . The balloon used for the feat was manufactured by the Balloon Facility of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research , Hyderabad , India . Eustace in his pressure suit hung tethered under the balloon , without the kind of capsule used by Felix Baumgartner . Eustace started his fall by using an explosive device to separate from the helium balloon
world record
Red Bull Stratos
Gas balloon