Starship’s Raptor engines ignite during hot-staging separation pic.twitter.com/oNdU0Z4FQI

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 22, 2026

Hot-staging on V3 is the "just trust the physics" moment of modern rocketry — three RVacs + three sea-level Raptors lighting through the vented interstage while the booster is still pushing. Working clean on a brand-new ship + brand-new booster on the first try is the…

— Samuel Tinnerholm (@SamTinnerholm) May 22, 2026