Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2061 ⟷ COSMOS 971
CriticalProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2061NORAD 20527 · launched Mar 1990Military payload
495mPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 971NORAD 10536 · launched Dec 1977Military payload
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 12 Nov 21:14 UTC.
Closest approach13 Nov 202601:46 UTC
Relative speed9.06 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude989 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live
Track COSMOS 2061Track COSMOS 971All approaches
Share

RU COSMOS 2061 and RU COSMOS 971 are predicted to reach a closest approach of 495 m at 2026-11-13 01:46 UTC, at a relative speed of 9.06 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 12 Nov 21:14 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 mattersBoth objects are catalogued as payloads. Screening continues as new element sets arrive; operators act on their own conjunction data.

The Two Objects

Dossiers from the satellite directory
COSMOS 2061Payload
NORAD 20527
CountryCIS
Launched1990-03-20
OrbitLEO · 969 × 1,013 km
COSPAR1990-023A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 971Payload
NORAD 10536
CountryCIS
Launched1977-12-23
OrbitLEO · 972 × 1,002 km
COSPAR1977-122A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 989 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 989 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 · COSMOS 2061 ⟷ COSMOS 971
2026-11-13 01:46495 m Live forecast9.06 km/s989 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
12 Nov 19:13 UTC495 m Forecast13 Nov 01:46 UTC12 Nov 10:47 UTCRe-check
12 Nov 09:12 UTC497 m Forecast13 Nov 01:46 UTC12 Nov 00:46 UTCRe-check
12 Nov 08:54 UTC7.54 km Forecast13 Nov 01:46 UTC11 Nov 08:28 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.66 km11-12 07:22 UTC
COSMOS 2061COSMOS 2100
3.67 km11-06 02:39 UTC
COSMOS 2061COSMOS 1513
3.83 km11-07 03:21 UTC
COSMOS 2061COSMOS 1375 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 →