The rocket, named “Evel Spirit”, reached approximately 400 miles per hour after launch.
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“I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought it couldn’t be done”, he said.
As well as recreating the stunt, Braun’s rocket also had ties to Knievel, as his designer, engineer Scott Truax, is the son of the man who built Knievel’s rocket, Skycycle.
A stuntman has become the first to successfully jump Snake River Canyon – 42 years after Evel Knievel almost died attempting to do so.
Speaking before his attempt, Braun said that he had prepared his family and crew for the worst and left instruction to be followed in the event of his death. “I met Evel Knievel as a small child and he inspired me so much when I met him”, Braun, 54, told Good Morning America, before the jump on Friday (16 September).
The rocket hit an estimated 400mph (around 640km/h) before its parachute deployed, allowing Mr Braun to land safely in fields on the other side.
Braun had trouble finding corporate sponsors for the stunt, and said he spent about $1.5 million of his own money on the jump.
Stuntman Eddie Braun jumps the Snake River Canyon in the “Evel Spirit” rocket Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, in Twin Falls, Idaho. “I wanted to be like him and after 30 years of being a professional stuntman, what better way to finish out my career than to pay homage to the man that inspired me?”
The mystique of Knievel’s failed stunt has lived on, with would-be daredevils showing up every decade or so to propose similar jumps.
Mr Braun is believed to be the first person to attempt the stunt since Knievel failed more than 40 years ago.
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Footage shot by eye witness Andy Teuscher shows the parachute deploying shortly after take off.
