Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›PRAETORIAN SDA_501 ⟷ CZ-6A DEB
HighCross-border
ForecastForecast made 12 Nov 18:49 UTC.
Closest approach13 Nov 202601:45 UTC
Relative speed12.69 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude944 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed12 Nov18:49 UTC · forecast

US PRAETORIAN SDA_501 and CN CZ-6A DEB are predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.66 km at 2026-11-13 01:45 UTC, at a relative speed of 12.69 km/s. Forecast made 12 Nov 18:49 UTC. This is a cross-border encounter between objects of different nations. Miss distance and time of closest approach are computed by propagating the latest published orbital elements for both objects, and each pass is re-checked every 20 minutes as new element sets are published. See the Satellite Maneuver Tracker for the live picture and space situational awareness for context.

Why it mattersOne side of this pass cannot maneuver, so any avoidance decision rests with the other operator. Screening continues as new element sets arrive.

The Two Objects

Dossiers from the satellite directory
NORAD 100059
CountryUS
OperatorSDA
LaunchedThu Jul 16 2
Maneuver capableUnknown
CZ-6A DEBDebris
NORAD 54431
CountryPRC
OperatorCNSA
LaunchedFri Nov 11 2
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 944 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 944 km this pass sits inside the most congested band in low Earth orbit, home to the debris left by the 2007 ASAT test and the 2009 collision. Objects here stay up for decades: there is too little atmospheric drag to clean the band naturally. Why crowded bands matter →

History Between This Pair

1 predicted pass under 10 km
Pair history · PRAETORIAN SDA_501 ⟷ CZ-6A DEB
2026-11-13 01:455.66 km Forecast12.69 km/s944 kmShown above

Repeat encounters are common for objects in near-intersecting orbital planes. Each pass is re-screened as fresh element sets arrive; "Final forecast" means the screening still predicted it within 45 minutes of its time, "Not re-confirmed" means later screening stopped finding it.

Forecast Record

Every figure published for the pass shown above, newest first. Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.
Computed · figure · predicted time · orbit data · by
12 Nov 18:09 UTC5.66 km Forecast13 Nov 01:45 UTC11 Nov 23:41 UTCRe-check
12 Nov 17:49 UTC8.84 km Forecast13 Nov 01:45 UTC11 Nov 23:41 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.93 km11-13 07:52 UTC
PRAETORIAN SDA_501COSMOS 1275 DEB

How These Numbers Are Computed

Miss distance and TCA come from propagating the latest published orbital elements for both objects and searching for the minimum separation over the screening window. Element sets carry kilometre-scale uncertainty, so figures here describe a close pass, not a collision prediction; a change in either object's published elements re-computes the pass automatically. What is a conjunction? → How conjunction assessment works →