Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›USA 32 DEB ⟷ IRIDIUM 126
high · PROXIMITY
4.54 kmpredicted miss distance
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 20 Oct 18:13 UTC.
Predicted closest approach
2026-10-21 10:45 UTC
Relative speed
11.30 km/s
Altitude
Last confirmed
20 Oct 18:13 UTC
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US USA 32 DEB and US IRIDIUM 126 are predicted to reach a closest approach of 4.54 km at 2026-10-21 10:45 UTC, at a relative speed of 11.30 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 20 Oct 18:13 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 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 101032
CountryUS
Launched1988-09-05
COSPAR1988-078C
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
NORAD 42809
CountryUS
Launched2017-06-25
COSPAR2017-039G
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 767 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 767 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

2 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · USA 32 DEB ⟷ IRIDIUM 126
2026-10-21 14:063.23 km Live forecast11.30 km/s767 kmView →
2026-10-21 10:454.54 km Live forecast11.30 km/s767 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
20 Oct 15:52 UTC4.54 km Forecast21 Oct 10:45 UTC20 Oct 06:16 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 12:32 UTC4.76 km Forecast21 Oct 10:45 UTC20 Oct 04:35 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 12:13 UTC4.01 km Forecast21 Oct 10:45 UTC20 Oct 01:04 UTCRe-check

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
4.54 km10-18 15:04 UTC
USA 32 DEBFENGYUN 1C DEB
4.71 km10-19 13:37 UTC
USA 32 DEBFENGYUN 1C DEB
4.98 km10-14 14:45 UTC
USA 32 DEBNOAA 16 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 →

Cite this encounter: Orbital Radar — “USA 32 DEB ⟷ IRIDIUM 126: 4.54 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/101032-42809 (accessed 2026-10-20).