On Oct. 14, 2012, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner jumped from a balloon capsule high above New Mexico and became the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound, the BBC and National Geographic reported at the time.

He jumped from 128,100 feet, or about 24 miles, the BBC said. He reached a top speed of 833.9 mph, both outlets reported. The jump also broke the record for the highest freefall.

"I'm coming home," Baumgartner radioed just before he stepped off the capsule, National Geographic reported. The mission was launched near Roswell, it said. His balloon was the largest helium balloon in history, 55 stories tall.

The dive did not start smoothly. Video showed him tumbling over and over early in the fall, the BBC said. But he used his experience from more than 2,500 dives to get into a stable position.

He was in freefall for 4 minutes and 22 seconds before opening his parachute at about 5,000 feet, National Geographic reported. The whole descent took about 10 minutes, both outlets said. He landed safely and fell to his knees in triumph.

"When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble," Baumgartner said afterward, the BBC reported. "The only thing that you want is to come back alive."

The old height record had been set in 1960 by retired U.S. Air Force pilot Joseph Kittinger, who jumped from 19.5 miles, National Geographic said. Kittinger was the only team member with a direct radio link to Baumgartner during the mission. "Couldn't have done it any better myself," Kittinger told him over the radio.

The BBC said the records would not be official until approved by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the world body for air sports records.

What we know: Baumgartner broke the sound barrier in freefall on Oct. 14, 2012.
What we don't: Whether anyone will match the feat in a similar jump.