Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›YAOGAN-50 02 DEB ⟷ DELTA 1 DEB
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ChinaYAOGAN-50 02 DEBNORAD 100572 · launched Mar 2026Military debris
2.58kmPredicted miss distance
United StatesDELTA 1 DEBNORAD 12176 · launched Mar 1978Debris
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 12 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 7.05 km at 9 Nov 02:04 UTC.
Closest approach9 Nov 202602:04 UTC
Relative speed11.29 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude907 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed9 Nov01:52 UTC · final forecast
Track YAOGAN-50 02 DEBTrack DELTA 1 DEBAll approaches
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CN YAOGAN-50 02 DEB and US DELTA 1 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.58 km at 2026-11-09 02:04 UTC, at a relative speed of 11.29 km/s. Final forecast, made 12 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 7.05 km at 9 Nov 02:04 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 mattersNeither object can maneuver: the miss distance will evolve only with natural orbital perturbations, so screening continues until the pass is over.

The Two Objects

Dossiers from the satellite directory
YAOGAN-50 02 DEBDebris
NORAD 100572
CountryPRC
Launched2026-03-15
OrbitLEO · 904 × 958 km
COSPAR2026-051L
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
Profile →Globe →
DELTA 1 DEBDebris
NORAD 12176
CountryUS
Launched1978-03-05
OrbitLEO · 885 × 979 km
COSPAR1978-026R
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 907 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 907 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 · YAOGAN-50 02 DEB ⟷ DELTA 1 DEB
2026-11-09 02:042.58 km Final forecast · after: 7.05 km11.29 km/s907 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
13 Nov 22:22 UTC7.05 km Best estimate9 Nov 02:04 UTC9 Nov 05:02 UTCBest estimate
8 Nov 13:32 UTC2.58 km Forecast9 Nov 02:04 UTC8 Nov 03:18 UTCRe-check
8 Nov 13:12 UTC7.45 km Forecast9 Nov 02:04 UTC8 Nov 03:18 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.46 km11-10 17:11 UTC
COSMOS 2378DELTA 1 DEB
2.85 km11-08 06:15 UTC
COSMOS 2074YAOGAN-50 02 DEB
2.98 km11-10 23:00 UTC
COSMOS 2502YAOGAN-50 02 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 →