Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›OTTER 24C ⟷ ION SCV-026
HighProximity
United StatesOTTER 24CNORAD 100930 · launched Oct 2026Payload
2.21kmPredicted miss distance
ItalyION SCV-026NORAD 100917 · launched Oct 2026Payload
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 28 Oct 00:44 UTC.
Closest approach28 Oct 202623:45 UTC
Drift speed3.6 m/s13 km/h, seen from ION SCV-026
Altitude507 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live
Track OTTER 24CTrack ION SCV-026All approaches
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US OTTER 24C and IT ION SCV-026 are predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.21 km at 2026-10-28 23:45 UTC, drifting past at about 3.6 m/s (13 km/h) as seen from ION SCV-026. Confirmed by the latest screening, 28 Oct 00:44 UTC. 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 mattersBoth objects are catalogued as payloads. Screening continues as new element sets arrive; operators act on their own conjunction data.

The Two Objects

Dossiers from the satellite directory
OTTER 24CPayload
NORAD 100930
CountryUS
Launched2026-10-01
OrbitLEO · 511 × 516 km
COSPAR2026-227AZ
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
ION SCV-026Payload
NORAD 100917
CountryIT
Launched2026-10-01
OrbitLEO · 511 × 514 km
COSPAR2026-227AL
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 507 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 507 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

1 predicted pass under 10 km
Pair history · OTTER 24C ⟷ ION SCV-026
2026-10-28 23:452.21 km Live forecast0.00 km/s507 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
27 Oct 23:43 UTC2.21 km Forecast28 Oct 23:45 UTC27 Oct 03:15 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 23:23 UTC5.07 km Forecast28 Oct 23:23 UTC27 Oct 03:15 UTCScreen
27 Oct 23:03 UTC8.75 km Forecast28 Oct 23:03 UTC27 Oct 03:15 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
491 m10-24 11:20 UTC
OTTER 24CFLOCK 4J-9
1.14 km10-23 03:58 UTC
SHIJIAN 6 04A (SJ-6 04A)ION SCV-026
2.59 km10-28 17:37 UTC
OTTER 24CRASSVET-3 12

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 →

Cite this encounter: Orbital Radar — “OTTER 24C ⟷ ION SCV-026: 2.21 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/100917-100930 (accessed 2026-10-28).