A mating and connection system for securing adjacent stages of a launch vehicle. The system includes a locking flange connected to each of a first vehicle stage and a second vehicle stage. A compression ring is positioned internal to the first and second vehicle stages. The compression ring is shaped to compress together the locking flanges of the first and second stages upon engagement with the locking flanges. A locking jack is capable of being activated from an exterior of the first and second stages and operates to selectively move the compression ring into and out of engagement with the locking flanges.