An Austrian daredevil has become the first skydiver to go faster than the speed of sound, after freefalling from 24 miles above the earth.

Felix Baumgartner broke the sound barrier and the record for highest ever jump after dropping out of a balloon 128,100ft above New Mexico.

The stunt happened on Sunday and was watched online by over seven million viewers.

The 43-year-old also took just under 10 minutes to descend, and after setting Twitter alight with his efforts, he was also applauded by fans online for his casual landing. The diver practically landed on his feet, fell to his knees and raised his fists in glee.

Baumgartner addressed the press afterwards saying: "Let me tell you - when I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble. You don't think about breaking records anymore, you don't think about gaining scientific data - the only thing that you want is to come back alive."