Felix Baumgartner falls from helium balloon above New Mexico desert before planned leap from 23 miles up

Felix Baumgartner, who plans to break the sound barrier by jumping from 23 miles above Earth this summer, has made it more than halfway there in a dress rehearsal above the New Mexico desert.

The Austrian skydiver, known as Fearless Felix, leapt from more than 13 miles up after ascending in a helium balloon. He is believed to be only the third person to jump from such a high altitude and freefall to a safe landing – and the first to do so in 50 years. The record is held by the US Air Force test pilot Joe Kittinger, who jumped from 19.5 miles in 1960.

"I'm now a member of a pretty small club," Baumgartner said.

He tested the pressurised capsule and full-pressure suit that he will use in a few months for the record-setting freefall. The extra protection is needed because there is virtually no atmosphere at such heights.

Baumgartner has jumped 2,500 times from planes and helicopters, as well as from some of the highest landmarks and skyscrapers on the planet, including the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro, the Millau viaduct in southern France and the 101-storey Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan. He has also leapt face-first into a pitch-dark, 190-metre-deep cave in Croatia – his most dangerous feat to date.

The former military parachutist's attempt to jump from 23 miles up has attracted Nasa's attention. Engineers working on astronaut escape systems for future spacecraft are monitoring his progress.

"I like to challenge myself," Baumgartner, 42, has said, "and this is the ultimate skydive. I think there's nothing bigger than that."

Thursday's test run provided the boost Baumgartner was hoping for. "That was the momentum we needed for the whole team. Now we are ready for the 90,000 jump," Baumgartner said, referring to the next trial run.

"I could not really feel my hands in freefall as it was so cold. We have to work on this," he added.

Baumgartner's 30-metre helium balloon and pressurised capsule lifted off from Roswell, New Mexico, on Thursday morning. He jumped at 13.6 miles and landed safely eight minutes and eight seconds later, according to a spokeswoman, Trish Medalen. She said he had reached speeds of up to 364.4mph and was in freefall for three minutes and 43 seconds before pulling his parachute cords.

"The view is amazing, way better than I thought," Baumgartner said.