Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›PELICAN-12 ⟷ FENGYUN 1C DEB
HighCross-border
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 3 Nov 07:30 UTC.
Closest approach3 Nov 202620:07 UTC
Relative speed14.45 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude584 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live

US PELICAN-12 and CN FENGYUN 1C DEB are predicted to reach a closest approach of 8.23 km at 2026-11-03 20:07 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.45 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 3 Nov 07:30 UTC. 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
PELICAN-12Payload
NORAD 101128
CountryUS
Launched2026-10-20
COSPAR2026-237T
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 31746
CountryPRC
Launched1999-05-10
COSPAR1999-025CEV
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 · 584 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 584 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

2 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · PELICAN-12 ⟷ FENGYUN 1C DEB
2026-11-03 20:078.23 km Live forecast14.45 km/s584 kmShown above
2026-11-03 19:191.58 km Live forecast14.44 km/s591 kmView →

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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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 04:49 UTC8.23 km Forecast3 Nov 20:07 UTC3 Nov 00:44 UTCRe-check
2 Nov 21:35 UTC6.23 km Forecast3 Nov 20:07 UTC2 Nov 16:44 UTCRe-check
2 Nov 20:35 UTC5.36 km Forecast3 Nov 20:07 UTC2 Nov 12:44 UTCRe-check
2 Nov 20:15 UTC6.61 km Forecast3 Nov 20:07 UTC2 Nov 12:44 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
320 m11-03 07:29 UTC
PELICAN-12FRG-100D4
455 m11-03 01:55 UTC
PELICAN-12NORSAT 4
505 m11-03 09:13 UTC
PELICAN-12FRG-100D4

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 — “PELICAN-12 ⟷ FENGYUN 1C DEB: 8.23 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/101128-31746 (accessed 2026-11-03).