Video | Google executive makes historic 42,000-metre skydive from the edge of space

Google executive Alan Eustace broke the sound barrier and set several skydiving records over the southern New Mexico desert in the US after taking a big leap from the edge of space.

Eustace's supersonic jump was part of a project by Paragon Space Development which has been working secretly for years to develop a self-contained commercial spacesuit that will allow people to explore 32 kilometres above the earth's surface. Friday's success marked a major step forward in that effort, company officials said.

After nearly three years of intense planning, development and training, Eustace, 57, began his ascent via a high-altitude, helium-filled balloon just as the sun was rising. It took more than two hours to hit an altitude of 41,419 metres, from which he separated himself from a balloon and started plummeting back to earth. Wearing his specially designed spacesuit, Eustace hit a top velocity of 1,322 km/h during a freefall that lasted 4½minutes.

The supersonic skydive happened with little fanfare, out of the media spotlight, unlike the 2012 attempt by daredevil Felix Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos team. Baumgartner, who was taken aloft in a capsule with the help of millions of dollars in sponsorships, had set the previous altitude record by jumping from 39,045 metres.