Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›YAOGAN-50 02 DEB ⟷ SL-8 R/B
HighCross-border
ChinaYAOGAN-50 02 DEBNORAD 100593 · launched Mar 2026Military debris
2.84kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaSL-8 R/BNORAD 13917 · launched Mar 1983Rocket body
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 15 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 2.85 km at 1 Nov 22:03 UTC.
Closest approach1 Nov 202622:03 UTC
Relative speed9.05 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude949 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed1 Nov21:47 UTC · final forecast
Track YAOGAN-50 02 DEBTrack SL-8 R/BAll approaches
Share

CN YAOGAN-50 02 DEB and RU SL-8 R/B were predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.84 km at 2026-11-01 22:03 UTC, at a relative speed of 9.05 km/s. Final forecast, made 15 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 2.85 km at 1 Nov 22:03 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 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 100593
CountryPRC
Launched2026-03-15
OrbitLEO · 829 × 1,010 km
COSPAR2026-051AH
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
Profile →Globe →
SL-8 R/BR/B
NORAD 13917
CountryCIS
Launched1983-03-24
OrbitLEO · 953 × 995 km
COSPAR1983-021B
Maneuver capableNo
Spent rocket stage: uncontrolled, tracked by the public catalogue.
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 949 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 949 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 ⟷ SL-8 R/B
2026-11-01 22:032.84 km Final forecast9.05 km/s949 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
4 Nov 22:11 UTC2.85 km Best estimate1 Nov 22:03 UTC2 Nov 01:26 UTCBest estimate
1 Nov 18:19 UTC2.84 km Forecast1 Nov 22:03 UTC1 Nov 05:12 UTCRe-check
1 Nov 17:59 UTC6.45 km Forecast1 Nov 22:03 UTC1 Nov 05:12 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
508 m11-07 02:17 UTC
YAOGAN-50 02 DEBTHOR ABLESTAR DEB
1.69 km11-02 01:57 UTC
YAOGAN 25C DEBSL-8 R/B
2.09 km11-02 04:51 UTC
YAOGAN-50 02 DEBCENTISPACE-2 S3

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 →