Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 launches Starlink Group 6-30. Courtesy: SpaceX
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA at 0420 GMT on 28 November 2023. The launch vehicle was carrying Starlink Group 6-30, a total of 23 v2 Mini Starlink satellites for the Starlink second-generation constellation. The reusable B1062 first stage, on its 17th flight, landed on the drone barge Just Read the Instructions located in the Atlantic.
Comment by David Todd: While Seradata is yet to do its final reckoning, although the annual number of satellites being launched is still rising, it is apparent from this year’s figures that the rate of growth of satellites being carried to orbit has significantly fallen. This, we attribute to the fact that Starllink satellite launches carry about half as many v2 Mini spacecraft as the original Starlink launches carrying the v1.5 version.
