Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2498 ⟷ COSMOS 980
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2498NORAD 39763 · launched May 2014Military payload
4.15kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 980NORAD 10587 · launched Jan 1978Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 4.20 km at 25 Oct 00:11 UTC.
Closest approach25 Oct 202600:11 UTC
Relative speed13.95 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,478 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed25 Oct00:09 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2498Track COSMOS 980All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2498 and RU COSMOS 980 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 4.15 km at 2026-10-25 00:11 UTC, at a relative speed of 13.95 km/s. Final forecast, made minutes before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 4.20 km at 25 Oct 00:11 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 2498Payload
NORAD 39763
CountryCIS
Launched2014-05-23
OrbitLEO · 1,477 × 1,511 km
COSPAR2014-028C
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 980Payload
NORAD 10587
CountryCIS
Launched1978-01-10
OrbitLEO · 1,462 × 1,475 km
COSPAR1978-005E
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1478 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1478 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 predicted pass under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2498 ⟷ COSMOS 980
2026-10-25 00:114.15 km Final forecast13.95 km/s1,478 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
27 Oct 16:03 UTC4.20 km Best estimate25 Oct 00:11 UTC25 Oct 17:48 UTCBest estimate
24 Oct 12:29 UTC4.15 km Forecast25 Oct 00:11 UTC24 Oct 05:51 UTCRe-check
24 Oct 00:49 UTC4.13 km Forecast25 Oct 00:11 UTC23 Oct 20:11 UTCRe-check
24 Oct 00:29 UTC4.35 km Forecast25 Oct 00:11 UTC23 Oct 20:11 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.06 km10-24 04:05 UTC
COSMOS 2498COSMOS 1823 DEB
3.25 km10-27 06:24 UTC
COSMOS 2192COSMOS 2498
3.35 km10-24 04:38 UTC
COSMOS 2498COSMOS 336

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 2498 ⟷ COSMOS 980: 4.15 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/10587-39763 (accessed 2026-10-30).