Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2266 ⟷ SL-8 R/B
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2266NORAD 22888 · launched Nov 1993Military payload
1.50kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaSL-8 R/BNORAD 11804 · launched May 1980Rocket body
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 15 min before the pass.
Closest approach27 Oct 202600:59 UTC
Relative speed10.24 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude995 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed27 Oct00:44 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2266Track SL-8 R/BAll approaches
Share

RU COSMOS 2266 and RU SL-8 R/B were predicted to reach a closest approach of 1.50 km at 2026-10-27 00:59 UTC, at a relative speed of 10.24 km/s. Final forecast, made 15 min before the pass. 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
COSMOS 2266Payload
NORAD 22888
CountryCIS
Launched1993-11-02
OrbitLEO · 946 × 1,016 km
COSPAR1993-070A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
SL-8 R/BR/B
NORAD 11804
CountryCIS
Launched1980-05-20
OrbitLEO · 960 × 992 km
COSPAR1980-039B
Maneuver capableNo
Spent rocket stage: uncontrolled, tracked by the public catalogue.
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 995 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 995 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 2266 ⟷ SL-8 R/B
2026-10-27 00:591.50 km Final forecast10.24 km/s995 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
26 Oct 16:41 UTC1.50 km Forecast27 Oct 00:59 UTC26 Oct 02:50 UTCRe-check
26 Oct 09:03 UTC1.50 km Forecast27 Oct 00:59 UTC25 Oct 22:17 UTCRe-check
26 Oct 01:23 UTC1.48 km Forecast27 Oct 00:59 UTC24 Oct 01:56 UTCRe-check
26 Oct 01:03 UTC8.21 km Forecast27 Oct 00:59 UTC24 Oct 01:56 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
553 m10-24 04:00 UTC
COSMOS 2266COSMOS 951 DEB
958 m10-22 10:30 UTC
COSMOS 2266COSMOS 1275 DEB
4.03 km10-24 02:16 UTC
COSMOS 2266COSMOS 1459

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 2266 ⟷ SL-8 R/B: 1.50 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/11804-22888 (accessed 2026-10-27).