Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›OBJECT E ⟷ SL-3 DEB
HighCross-border
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 14 min before the pass.
Closest approach7 Nov 202618:46 UTC
Relative speed2.45 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude877 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed7 Nov18:31 UTC · final forecast

CN OBJECT E and RU SL-3 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.72 km at 2026-11-07 18:46 UTC, at a relative speed of 2.45 km/s. Final forecast, made 14 min before the pass. 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 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
OBJECT EPayload
NORAD 100706
CountryPRC
Launched2026-09-15
COSPAR2026-211E
Maneuver capableUnknown
SL-3 DEBDebris
NORAD 20348
CountryCIS
Launched1972-06-30
COSPAR1972-049C
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 · 877 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 877 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 · OBJECT E ⟷ SL-3 DEB
2026-11-07 18:465.72 km Final forecast2.45 km/s877 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
7 Nov 11:05 UTC5.72 km Forecast7 Nov 18:46 UTC6 Nov 15:45 UTCRe-check
7 Nov 10:45 UTC6.10 km Forecast7 Nov 18:46 UTC6 Nov 15:45 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
469 m11-05 22:56 UTC
OBJECT ECZ-6A DEB
1.85 km11-08 16:00 UTC
OBJECT EMETEOR 1-18
4.75 km11-07 00:51 UTC
COSMOS 2580SL-3 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 →