Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›USA 32 DEB ⟷ QIANFAN-35
HighCross-border
On permanent record
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 13 min before the pass.
Closest approach13 Nov 202616:37 UTC
Relative speed1.65 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude800 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed13 Nov16:24 UTC · final forecast

US USA 32 DEB and CN QIANFAN-35 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.58 km at 2026-11-13 16:37 UTC, at a relative speed of 1.65 km/s. Final forecast, made 13 min before the pass. This is a cross-border encounter between objects of different nations. 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 101198
CountryUS
Launched1988-09-05
COSPAR1988-078Y
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
QIANFAN-35Payload
NORAD 61568
CountryPRC
Launched2024-10-15
COSPAR2024-185S
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 800 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 800 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 ⟷ QIANFAN-35
2026-11-13 16:372.58 km Final forecast1.65 km/s800 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
13 Nov 13:44 UTC2.58 km Forecast13 Nov 16:37 UTC13 Nov 07:02 UTCRe-check
13 Nov 09:19 UTC2.58 km Forecast13 Nov 16:37 UTC13 Nov 03:40 UTCRe-check
12 Nov 19:13 UTC2.40 km Forecast13 Nov 16:37 UTC12 Nov 09:11 UTCRe-check
12 Nov 16:47 UTC2.94 km Forecast13 Nov 16:37 UTC12 Nov 04:08 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.45 km11-15 11:36 UTC
USA 32 DEBIONOSFERA-M 01
2.54 km11-08 08:40 UTC
USA 32 DEBOPS 5390
2.75 km11-13 22:35 UTC
USA 32 DEBCZ-6A 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 →

✓ Permanent record. This encounter met the notability thresholds and keeps an archived page after the pass.