VIDEO: Watch as man breaks through sound barrier in 25 mile skydive

THIS is the moment a Google executive broke the sound barrier and plummeted 135,000 feet at speeds of up to 822mph.

Google's Alan Eustace beats Baumgartner's skydiving record

Alan Eustace, aged 57, broke several skydiving records when he fell 41,419 metres yesterday from the edge of space.

The video shows the Florida-born senior vice president in a specialist designed spacesuit rising through the atmosphere in a helium-filled balloon, which took more than two hours to reach the height needed.

He then detached himself from the balloon and fell the exhilarating 25.7 miles to earth.

Mr Eustace’s death-defying stunt was three years in the making, but could now pave the way for human space exploration.

The Paragon Space Development Corp. has been working secretly to develop a self-contained commercial spacesuit which would allow people to explore 20 miles above the earth’s surface.

Alan Eustace, google, vice president, executive, skydive, fall, sound barrier, space, video, Alan Eustace fell more than 25 miles[AP]

Alan Eustace, google, vice president, executive, skydive, fall, sound barrier, space, video, The mission was three years in the making [EPA]

Alan Eustace, google, vice president, executive, skydive, fall, sound barrier, space, video, Alan Eustace made the two hour ascent at sunrise [EPA]

This has opened up endless possibilities for humans to explore previously seldom visited parts of our stratosphere

Grant Anderson

The technology that has gone into developing the balloon, the spacesuit and the other systems that were used in Friday's launch will be used to advance commercial spaceflight, namely efforts by Arizona-based World View Enterprises to take paying tourists up in a high-altitude balloon and luxury capsule starting in late 2016.

Friday's success marked a major step forward in that effort, company officials said.

"This has opened up endless possibilities for humans to explore previously seldom visited parts of our stratosphere," Grant Anderson, Paragon president and CEO, said in a statement.

As more people head into the stratosphere, the spacesuits could be adapted for emergency rescues or other scientific endeavours, officials said.

Alan Eustace, google, vice president, executive, skydive, fall, sound barrier, space, video, The successful dive is a key milestone in a bid to send humans to space commercially [EPA]

Alan Eustace, google, vice president, executive, skydive, fall, sound barrier, space, video, Alan Eustace did a four and a half minute free fall [EPA]

Alan Eustace, google, vice president, executive, skydive, fall, sound barrier, space, video, Alan Eustace after reaching the ground safely [EPA]

The supersonic skydive happened with little fanfare, out of the media spotlight, unlike the 2012 attempt by daredevil Felix Baumgartner, 45, 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 128,100 feet (39,045 meters).

Jim Hayhurst, director of competition at the United States Parachute Association, said: "This was a bunch of quiet engineers doing the job.

"This is a scientific endeavour. This is a stepping stone to space."

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