Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›PRAETORIAN SDA_502 ⟷ COSMOS 928
CriticalCross-border
On permanent record
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 25 Oct 17:14 UTC.
Closest approach26 Oct 202612:50 UTC
Relative speed14.62 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude952 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live

US PRAETORIAN SDA_502 and RU COSMOS 928 are predicted to reach a closest approach of 762 m at 2026-10-26 12:50 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.62 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 25 Oct 17:14 UTC. This is a cross-border encounter between objects of different nations, the kind of event closely watched for space-security implications. 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 mattersBoth objects are catalogued as payloads. Screening continues as new element sets arrive; operators act on their own conjunction data.

The Two Objects

Dossiers from the satellite directory
NORAD 100060
CountryUS
Launched2026-07-16
COSPAR2026-163B
Maneuver capableUnknown
COSMOS 928Payload
NORAD 10141
CountryCIS
Launched1977-07-13
COSPAR1977-064A
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 952 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 952 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_502 ⟷ COSMOS 928
2026-10-26 12:50762 m Live forecast14.62 km/s952 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
25 Oct 15:52 UTC762 m Forecast26 Oct 12:50 UTC24 Oct 06:50 UTCRe-check
25 Oct 15:34 UTC6.57 km Forecast26 Oct 12:50 UTC24 Oct 06:50 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
877 m10-26 04:07 UTC
PRAETORIAN SDA_511COSMOS 928
1.91 km10-23 10:22 UTC
PRAETORIAN SDA_502COSMOS 1275 DEB
4.18 km10-20 04:11 UTC
PRAETORIAN SDA_502NIMBUS 2 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 →

Cite this encounter: Orbital Radar — “PRAETORIAN SDA_502 ⟷ COSMOS 928: 762 m predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/100060-10141 (accessed 2026-10-25).
✓ Permanent record. This encounter met the notability thresholds and keeps an archived page after the pass.