HomeManeuver TrackerClose ApproachesCOSMOS 976 ⟷ COSMOS 1292
medium · PROXIMITY
6.91 kmmiss distance
Closest approach (TCA)
2026-09-14 22:26 UTC
Relative speed
11.39 km/s
Altitude
Current separation
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On 2026-09-14 22:26 UTC, RU COSMOS 976 and RU COSMOS 1292 reached a closest approach (TCA) of 6.91 km, with a relative velocity of 11.39 km/s. Miss distance and time of closest approach are computed by propagating the latest published orbital elements for both objects, and values update 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 976Payload
NORAD 10581
CountryCIS
Launched1978-01-10
COSPAR1978-005A
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 12641
CountryCIS
Launched1981-08-06
COSPAR1981-074F
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1459 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1459 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

1 recorded pass under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 976 ⟷ COSMOS 1292
Now6.91 km11.39 km/s1,459 kmThis page

Repeat encounters are common for objects in near-intersecting orbital planes; each pass is re-screened as fresh element sets arrive.

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.77 km09-14 11:11 UTC
COSMOS 976COSMOS 1055
5.91 km09-09 01:39 UTC
COSMOS 1292COSMOS 1721
6.17 km09-14 01:22 UTC
COSMOS 1231COSMOS 1292

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 — “COSMOS 976 ⟷ COSMOS 1292: 6.91 km close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/10581-12641 (accessed 2026-09-15).