Perlan2 high altitude glider 76,000 feet.

[snapper1]

Flying in the polar vortex above Argentina yesterday the Perlan 2 glider got to 76,000 feet. The aim is to get to 90,000.

[Jan Olieslagers]

Impressive! Meanwhile, the country below seems to be sinking ever deeper

[suninmyeyes]

What height was it towed up to before being released?

[tartare]

Isn't it actually the standing wave off the Andes that they're soaring in?
I think the original Perlan goal was to soar to around FL90 - where they could catch the polar vortex - which is the jetstream that would allow them to circumnavigate Antarctica.
Amazing achievement to get as high as they have.
They're towed to FL42 by a Grob turboprop before being released...

[India Four Two]

The FAI requirements for an altitude record require a climb of more than 5000 m (16,400') after release, so a release at 42,000' meets the requirements.

We're searching for stratospheric mountain waves and we have certainly found them. For the third time in one week, Airbus Perlan Mission II has set a new world altitude record for a glider, this time soaring the engineless Perlan 2 to 76,124 feet, in the process collecting vital data on flight performance, weather and the atmosphere.

Yesterday’s flight by pilots Jim Payne and Tim Gardner surpasses even the maximum recorded altitude in level flight of the U.S. Air Force’s famous U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft: 73,737 feet, flown by pilot Jerry Hoyt on Apr. 17, 1989.

The U-2 is powered by an engine that generates 17,000 lbs. of thrust. By contrast, the Perlan 2 is engineless, weighs just 1,500 pounds, and soars to its record altitudes on rare stratospheric air currents formed by mountain winds combining with the Polar Vortex.

Video:
https://tinyurl.com/ycfo6eme

[Jim59]

Isn't FL42 about 4,200' and FL420 about 42,000'? Anyway Perlan 2 official site says 'about 42,500'.