Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›OTTER 24C ⟷ NOAA 17 DEB
MediumProximity
United StatesOTTER 24CNORAD 100930 · launched Oct 2026Payload
6.57kmPredicted miss distance
United StatesNOAA 17 DEBNORAD 48715 · launched Jun 2002Debris
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
Closest approach3 Nov 202614:30 UTC
Relative speed4.25 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude506 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed3 Nov14:27 UTC · final forecast
Track OTTER 24CTrack NOAA 17 DEBAll approaches
Share

US OTTER 24C and US NOAA 17 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 6.57 km at 2026-11-03 14:30 UTC, at a relative speed of 4.25 km/s. Final forecast, made minutes 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
OTTER 24CPayload
NORAD 100930
CountryUS
Launched2026-10-01
OrbitLEO · 511 × 516 km
COSPAR2026-227AZ
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
NOAA 17 DEBDebris
NORAD 48715
CountryUS
Launched2002-06-24
OrbitLEO · 514 × 524 km
COSPAR2002-032AY
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 · 506 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 506 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 ⟷ NOAA 17 DEB
2026-11-03 14:306.57 km Final forecast4.25 km/s506 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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 09:13 UTC6.57 km Forecast3 Nov 14:30 UTC2 Nov 15:56 UTCRe-check
2 Nov 22:00 UTC5.12 km Forecast3 Nov 14:30 UTC2 Nov 01:40 UTCRe-check
2 Nov 21:46 UTC5.83 km Forecast3 Nov 14:30 UTC2 Nov 01:40 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
870 m11-05 14:41 UTC
OTTER 24CSL-8 DEB
1.41 km11-03 05:48 UTC
OTTER 24CFLOCK 4J-11
1.43 km11-04 04:45 UTC
OTTER 24COBJECT CE

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 →