Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›USA 32 DEB ⟷ IRIDIUM 108
HighProximity
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 8 min before the pass.
Closest approach21 Oct 202606:20 UTC
Relative speed4.56 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude769 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed21 Oct06:12 UTC · final forecast

US USA 32 DEB and US IRIDIUM 108 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.65 km at 2026-10-21 06:20 UTC, at a relative speed of 4.56 km/s. Final forecast, made 8 min 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
NORAD 101033
CountryUS
Launched1988-09-05
COSPAR1988-078D
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
NORAD 41924
CountryUS
Launched2017-01-14
COSPAR2017-003H
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 769 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 769 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 · USA 32 DEB ⟷ IRIDIUM 108
2026-10-21 06:202.65 km Final forecast4.56 km/s769 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
21 Oct 03:52 UTC2.65 km Forecast21 Oct 06:20 UTC20 Oct 21:32 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 21:52 UTC2.54 km Forecast21 Oct 06:20 UTC20 Oct 17:17 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 15:52 UTC2.54 km Forecast21 Oct 06:20 UTC20 Oct 06:43 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 15:22 UTC1.55 km Forecast21 Oct 06:20 UTC20 Oct 06:31 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 15:02 UTC4.19 km Forecast21 Oct 06:20 UTC20 Oct 06:31 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.25 km10-22 05:06 UTC
USA 32 DEBNOAA 16 DEB
4.46 km10-22 03:25 UTC
USA 32 DEBNOAA 16 DEB
4.51 km10-22 10:48 UTC
USA 32 DEBHAIYANG 1D

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 108: 2.65 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/101033-41924 (accessed 2026-10-22).