Austrian adventurer Felix Baumgartner’s supersonic freefall from 120,000 ft today’s launch has been aborted at 11:42hrs MDT due to winds and delays from a lost radio and problems with the capsule making an attempt too risky. There is a second backup balloon but the weather may not be favourable for a launch tomorrow (10/10). Meteorologists say Thursday now looks to be next best day for a record bid.

Red Bull Stratos 30 million cu ft (850,000 cu m) polyethylene balloon has very strict launch requirements.

Wind speeds from the ground up to about 800ft (250m) must not exceed 3mph (5km/h), or there is a chance the envelope could shred as the support team try to release it and the capsule.

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.

Source: Red Bull