Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›YAOGAN-50 02 DEB ⟷ ORBCOMM FM 33
MediumProximity
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 11 min before the pass.
Closest approach3 Nov 202611:58 UTC
Relative speed14.83 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude765 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed3 Nov11:47 UTC · final forecast

CN YAOGAN-50 02 DEB and ORB ORBCOMM FM 33 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.61 km at 2026-11-03 11:58 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.83 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 100578
CountryPRC
Launched2026-03-15
COSPAR2026-051S
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
NORAD 25983
CountryORB
Launched1999-12-04
COSPAR1999-065D
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 765 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 765 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 ⟷ ORBCOMM FM 33
2026-11-03 11:585.61 km Final forecast14.83 km/s765 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
3 Nov 11:07 UTC5.61 km Forecast3 Nov 11:58 UTC2 Nov 17:55 UTCRe-check
3 Nov 10:48 UTC7.70 km Forecast3 Nov 11:58 UTC2 Nov 17:55 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.88 km11-07 06:21 UTC
YAOGAN-50 02 DEBCOSMOS 1818
4.72 km11-04 02:45 UTC
DMSP 5D-2 F10 (USA 68)ORBCOMM FM 33
4.76 km10-30 21:50 UTC
YAOGAN-50 02 DEBSL-8 R/B

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 →