All systems are now “go” for Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the edge of space. The Red Bull Stratos space capsule has passed high-altitude simulation testing after it was damaged in July’s final practice jump, and a launch date has been set for October 8 in Roswell, New Mexico.

The capsule seen at the flight line during the second manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on July 25, 2012. Red Bull Stratos is a mission to the edge of space to an altitude of 37.000 meters to break several records including the sound of speed in freefall. Photo: Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull

ROSWELL (New Mexico) - The final countdown for Felix Baumgartner’s history making jump from the edge of space began on Monday after the Red Bull Stratos Technical Project Director Art Thompson declared the repaired space capsule is fit and all systems are go. The tentative launch date for Baumgartner’s attempt to jump from an altitude of 36,576 meters has now been set for October 8, ending a period of uncertainty for the team and, for Baumgartner, the agony of waiting. The Austrian extreme sport athlete had to endure delays due to the repairs but is now delighted that the countdown is on for his attempt to become the first person to break the sound barrier in freefall and set four other world records in the process.

Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria seen during the first manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on February 23 2012. Photo: Jörg Mitter/Red Bull

"I feel like a tiger in a cage waiting to get out," said Baumgartner, 43, one of the world's most celebrated B.A.S.E. jumpers and extreme athletes, who in 2003 became the first person to make a freefall flight across the English Channel with the aid of a carbon wing. He will be flying as fast as speeding bullet during his supersonic journey to Earth.

Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria seen during the first manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on February 23 2012. Photo: Jörg Mitter/Red Bull

Aviation pioneer Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos team have been preparing for years to break the record for highest-altitude jump, eclipsing a mark set more than 52 years ago. The capsule, which at about 1.315 kilogram weighs a little bit more than a VW Beetle, was damaged in a hard landing following Baumgartner’s final test jump from a near-record altitude of 29,610 meters in July – during the jump Baumgartner was freefalling at speeds of up to 864 kilometers per hour, or as fast as a commercial airliner. The Austrian landed safely in another part of the New Mexico desert.

On September 24, the repaired capsule underwent testing in an altitude chamber at Brooks City-Base in San Antonio, Texas. The capsule was exposed to the extreme conditions it will face in the unforgiving environs of the stratosphere. After passing all the tests, the capsule was sent back to Roswell.

Mission director Marle Hewett of the United States, technical director Art Thompson of the United States and USAF colonel (ret.) Joe Kittinger pose for a photograph after finishing a successful pressure test of the rebuild space capsule for the Red Bull Stratos Mission at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX, USA, on 24 September 2012. Photo: Garth Milan/Red Bull

A central aim of the Red Bull Stratos project is to collect valuable data for science that could ultimately help improve the safety of space travel and enable high-altitude escapes from spacecraft. The jump will also attempt to break an assortment of records such as highest speed in freefall, highest jump, highest manned balloon flight and longest freefall.

The Crew. Photo: Red Bull

Thompson is cautiously optimistic about the launch date of October 8, while acknowledging that perfect weather conditions are needed for the delicate 850.000 cubic meters helium balloon, which is made of plastic that has 1/10th the thickness of a Ziploc bag. Mission meteorologist Don Day confirmed, "Early fall in New Mexico is one of the best times of the year to launch stratospheric balloons."

Red Bull Stratos
September 25, 2012

How to watch it LIVE: www.servustv.com/stratos

Red Bull Stratos

Red Bull Stratos, created by Red Bull and Felix Baumgartner, is a mission to the edge of space that will try to surpass human limits that have existed for more than 50 years. Supported by a team of experts, Felix Baumgartner will undertake a stratospheric balloon flight to more than 120,000 feet / 36,576 meters and make a record-breaking freefall jump in the attempt to become the first man to break the speed of sound in freefall (an estimated 690 miles / 1,110 kilometers per hour), while delivering valuable data for medical and scientific advancement.

Find more at www.redbullstratos.com