Stage separation: so hot
Integrated Flight Test 3 (IFT-3) involved SpaceX’s second hot staging attempt, which is meant to smoothen the process of stage separation by keeping the engines of the departing booster running for a brief overlap period. During the second test flight, done this past November 18, stage separation appeared to go well, but the Super Heavy booster exploded shortly afterwards owing to a blocked filter.
Things went better during this latest attempt, as Starship executed its second successful hot-stage separation. This involved powering down to only three of Super Heavy’s Raptor engines and igniting the six second stage Raptor engines just prior to separation (these Raptors can work in the vacuum of space). The booster then performed its flip maneuver and full boostback burn, directing it toward its designated splashdown location in the Gulf of Mexico.
