73-year-old adventurer, Air Force specialists set skydiving record over New Mexico

A team of skydivers led by a 73-year-old private astronaut have set a record by jumping from a balloon 38,000 feet in the air and successfully executing a dangerous military dive.

Larry Connor, who in 2022 was among the crew members on the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, was part of the Alpha 5 team that set the new mark for the highest HALO (high altitude, low open) formation skydive on Thursday.

In the skies over New Mexico, Connor and four U.S. Air Force specialists leapt from the balloon and linked arms while freefalling at speeds that reached 189 miles per hour before separating and deploying their parachutes when 4,000 feet above the ground.

Watch the video here:

An official observer from Guinness World Records was on site to validate the jump, which the Alpha 5 project said in a Thursday media release would be the highest HALO formation dive ever achieved.

“I could not be prouder of the exemplary team behind the Alpha 5 Project that set this world record,” Connor, who is from Dayton, Ohio, said in a statement. “We share this record with each and every person who contributed to the mission. Together we all did something many thought was impossible, and did it for a great cause.”

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Joining the jump were four current and former U.S. Air Force Special Warfare pararescue specialists: Brandon Daugherty; Rob Dieguez; Chris Lais and Jimmy Petrolia.

With a jump window through Oct. 15, the Alpha 5 team was able to conduct the HALO maneuver at sunrise on Thursday when they launched from Stapp Parade Ground at the New Mexico Military Institute. The team ascended to 38,000 feet while on board a specially adapted 115-foot-tall balloon billed as the largest in the United States.

The high-altitude quad burner balloon was built in the English city of Bristol specifically for the HALO jump overseen by Operator Solutions, according to a post on X from Cameron Balloons.

The skydivers landed roughly 14 miles southeast of the launch site.

The Alpha 5 jump served as a fundraising goal of $1 million for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides services to families and children of special forces members killed in combat, as well as wounded service members.

“We are truly appreciative of their efforts," retired Major General Clayton M. Hutmacher, the foundation's president and CEO, said in a statement. "Their incredible support will make a difference in the lives of the surviving children, surviving spouses and families we serve.”

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What are HALO jumps?

Primarily a military maneuver, HALO jumps are very dangerous and difficult compared to recreational dives.

The U.S. military's various special forces have for decades executed HALO jumps primarily for stealth jumpers to enter hostile regions, according to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

The jumps typically take place from high altitudes of 30,000 to 40,000 feet, with chutes opening when divers are as low as 800 feet in the air. For comparison, recreational skydives occur around 15,000 feet in the air, with jumpers deploying their parachute 3,000 feet above the ground.

"By keeping the aircraft up high, it can remain out of range of anti-aircraft fire and surface missiles," according to the museum. "While the high altitude brings cover, it also brings substantial danger — lack of oxygen being top among them. If their pressurized equipment fails, it would be a matter of seconds before the HALO jumpers pass out from hypoxia."

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com