Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›SPACEMOBILE-011 ⟷ THOR ABLESTAR DEB
MediumProximity
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 11 min before the pass.
Closest approach12 Nov 202616:58 UTC
Relative speed12.59 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude522 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed12 Nov16:47 UTC · final forecast

US SPACEMOBILE-011 and US THOR ABLESTAR DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 9.49 km at 2026-11-12 16:58 UTC, at a relative speed of 12.59 km/s. Final forecast, made 11 min before the pass. 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 100242
CountryUS
Launched2026-08-05
COSPAR2026-179C
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 461
CountryUS
Launched1961-06-29
COSPAR1961-015EX
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 · 522 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 522 km this pass sits in low Earth orbit. 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

2 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · SPACEMOBILE-011 ⟷ THOR ABLESTAR DEB
2026-11-12 19:20298 m Final forecast12.59 km/s525 kmView →
2026-11-12 16:589.49 km Final forecast12.59 km/s522 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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 09:12 UTC9.49 km Forecast12 Nov 16:58 UTC12 Nov 03:22 UTCRe-check
11 Nov 22:18 UTC9.59 km Forecast12 Nov 16:58 UTC11 Nov 14:42 UTCRe-check
11 Nov 18:17 UTC9.70 km Forecast12 Nov 16:58 UTC11 Nov 03:36 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
809 m11-07 21:40 UTC
SPACEMOBILE-011COSMOS 2251 DEB
2.85 km11-10 12:57 UTC
SPACEMOBILE-011XRISM
2.96 km11-13 05:51 UTC
SPACEMOBILE-011CZ-6A 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 →