Parachutist Boitsov set a record for jumping from a balloon from a height of more than 11.5 km

Russian parachutist and multiple world record holder Sergey Boytsov jumped from a thermal balloon from a height of 11,551 m in the Altai Territory and set a new world record. The event was timed to coincide with the National Flag Day of Russia, which is celebrated on August 22.

Fighters exceeded the current world record — a jump from a thermal balloon from a height of 33,000 feet, or about 10,060 m, set by athletes from Poland.

The jump was the culmination of the Stratum Jump 11-12 project ("Jump from the Stratosphere"), a project by the head of the company "Created by Heaven" Boytsov. A team of about 100 specialists worked for about six months. Engineers, designers, pilots, parachutists and technical specialists participated in the implementation.

A special feature of the project was the maximum reliance on domestic technologies: the balloon system was developed by Rusbal, parachute systems were provided by Paraavis, oxygen equipment was provided by PTS JSC, and COOL ZONE and Chule created high—altitude equipment.

Standard parachute equipment is not designed for heights of more than 11 km, so the suit was created in several stages — from the first prototype to the final version, which passed technical tests. The helmet, oxygen mask attachment, and gloves were separately refined. The oxygen system was designed taking into account the specifics of high-altitude flight: at high altitude, oxygen is needed not only for athletes and pilots, but also for the stable operation of the thermal balloon equipment.

"It was fundamentally important for us not just to set a record, but to do it based on our own technologies. At an altitude of more than 11 kilometers, where temperatures can drop to -60 degrees, every detail becomes critically important. Therefore, there is not only an athlete behind this record, but also a large Russian engineering team," said Boytsov.

Preparation for the record included a complex of ground and flight tests. On July 8, with the support of Roscosmos, Boitsov was tested in the pressure chamber of the Cosmonaut Training Center at an altitude equivalent to 12 km. Separately, the equipment and equipment were tested at extremely low temperatures down to -60°C. In the wind tunnel, the athlete practiced the body position in free fall and actions for the safe opening of the parachute. Test jumps from lower heights were also conducted.

The record flight began at 06:39 local time (02:39 Moscow time) in the rural settlement of Kashinskoye in the Aleysky district. The duration of the balloon flight was 3 hours and 1 minute. Boytsov's landing took place in 07:54:17 (03:54:17 Moscow Time) from an altitude of 11,551 m, the speed of the balloon at that moment was about 70 km/ h, the temperature outside was about -59 degrees.

The free fall lasted 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and the maximum speed reached 501 km/h. The parachute opened at an altitude of 1,565 m, the flight under the dome lasted 4 minutes 49 seconds, the total flight time was 7 minutes 19 seconds. The balloon completed its flight at 09:40 local time (05:40 Moscow time), the landing site is Ust-Kalmansky district of the Altai Territory. Ivan Menyailo, President of the Russian Aeronautical Sports Federation, was responsible for the lift.

Boytsov came up with the idea of the record in 2023 and in a few years turned into a full-fledged engineering and sports project.

"For me, this is not just a sporting result. This is a dream I've been pursuing for several years. Today we climbed 11,551 meters and set a world record in Russia. Behind this figure is a lot of work by the whole team, trials, calculations and the belief that even the wildest idea can become a reality," said Boytsov.

The record has not only sporting, but also engineering significance: the team has tested in practice the possibility of creating and using a domestic set of equipment for human operation in conditions close to stratospheric.

The jump is timed to coincide with the Day of the National Flag of Russia and was held in support of the International Youth Festival — 2026. The jump was watched live by audiences across the country. The broadcast took place in the community of the International Youth Festival on VKontakte and on digital advertising structures. The project was supported by the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, the Russian Olympic Committee, Roscosmos, Rosaviation, the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, the government of the Moscow region, as well as partners — the drug Tirzetta and the messenger MAX. The information partner was TASS.

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