Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›KITA-36 ⟷ SL-8 DEB
HighCross-border
On permanent record
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 23 Oct 18:50 UTC.
Closest approach24 Oct 202611:38 UTC
Relative speed4.33 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude602 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live

US KITA-36 and RU SL-8 DEB are predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.28 km at 2026-10-24 11:38 UTC, at a relative speed of 4.33 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 23 Oct 18:50 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
KITA-36Payload
NORAD 69909
CountryUS
Launched2026-07-07
COSPAR2026-156AS
Maneuver capableUnknown
SL-8 DEBDebris
NORAD 11113
CountryCIS
Launched1978-11-16
COSPAR1978-105C
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 · 602 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 602 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 · KITA-36 ⟷ SL-8 DEB
2026-10-24 11:383.28 km Live forecast4.33 km/s602 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
23 Oct 18:29 UTC3.28 km Forecast24 Oct 11:38 UTC23 Oct 05:14 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 12:10 UTC3.24 km Forecast24 Oct 11:38 UTC22 Oct 21:10 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 11:58 UTC3.35 km Forecast24 Oct 11:38 UTC22 Oct 21:10 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.06 km10-24 03:22 UTC
KITA-36GRUS-3A
3.00 km10-24 02:38 UTC
KITA-36GRUS-3A
3.54 km10-21 15:01 UTC
KITA-36ET-001D

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 — “KITA-36 ⟷ SL-8 DEB: 3.28 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/11113-69909 (accessed 2026-10-23).
✓ Permanent record. This encounter met the notability thresholds and keeps an archived page after the pass.