Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 1997 ⟷ COSMOS 1232
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 1997NORAD 19788 · launched Feb 1989Military payload
3.66kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1232NORAD 12111 · launched Dec 1980Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 9 min before the pass.
Closest approach23 Oct 202620:37 UTC
Relative speed7.97 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,421 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed23 Oct20:29 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 1997Track COSMOS 1232All approaches
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RU COSMOS 1997 and RU COSMOS 1232 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.66 km at 2026-10-23 20:37 UTC, at a relative speed of 7.97 km/s. Final forecast, made 9 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 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 1997Payload
NORAD 19788
CountryCIS
Launched1989-02-10
OrbitLEO · 1,400 × 1,416 km
COSPAR1989-009D
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 1232Payload
NORAD 12111
CountryCIS
Launched1980-12-23
OrbitLEO · 1,412 × 1,464 km
COSPAR1980-102E
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1421 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1421 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 1997 ⟷ COSMOS 1232
2026-10-23 20:373.66 km Final forecast7.97 km/s1,421 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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 UTC3.66 km Forecast23 Oct 20:37 UTC23 Oct 04:42 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 10:16 UTC3.66 km Forecast23 Oct 20:37 UTC23 Oct 04:42 UTCRe-check
22 Oct 22:16 UTC3.69 km Forecast23 Oct 20:37 UTC22 Oct 17:35 UTCRe-check
22 Oct 21:57 UTC8.18 km Forecast23 Oct 20:37 UTC22 Oct 05:47 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.31 km10-19 13:24 UTC
COSMOS 2268COSMOS 1232
5.28 km10-20 14:55 UTC
COSMOS 1997COSMOS 2491 DEB
6.55 km10-24 20:22 UTC
COSMOS 1997COSMOS 2008

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 1997 ⟷ COSMOS 1232: 3.66 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/12111-19788 (accessed 2026-10-25).