A weather hold that threatened to cancel extreme athlete and skydiver Felix Baumgartner's death-defying, 23-mile (37 kilometer) free fall into the southeastern New Mexico desert has been lifted. The planned 7 am launch on Tuesday was delayed by high winds. But just before 9 am, the winds calmed and the team decided to proceed with plans to begin the launch, a process that would take about two hours.

Crews began laying out his balloon.

The 43-year-old former military parachutist from Austria plans to take off in a 55-story, ultra-thin and easy-to-tear helium balloon that will take him into the stratosphere for a jump.

He hopes it will make him the first skydiver to break the sound barrier and shatter three other world records.