Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2398 ⟷ COSMOS 1275
HighProximity
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 3.81 km at 23 Oct 15:11 UTC.
Closest approach23 Oct 202615:11 UTC
Relative speed13.23 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude982 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed23 Oct15:09 UTC · final forecast

RU COSMOS 2398 and RU COSMOS 1275 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.84 km at 2026-10-23 15:11 UTC, at a relative speed of 13.23 km/s. Final forecast, made minutes before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 3.81 km at 23 Oct 15:11 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
NORAD 27818
CountryCIS
Launched2003-06-04
COSPAR2003-023A
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 12504
CountryCIS
Launched1981-06-04
COSPAR1981-053A
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 982 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 982 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 2398 ⟷ COSMOS 1275
2026-10-23 15:113.84 km Final forecast13.23 km/s982 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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 01:03 UTC3.81 km Best estimate23 Oct 15:11 UTC23 Oct 17:51 UTCBest estimate
23 Oct 11:39 UTC3.84 km Forecast23 Oct 15:11 UTC23 Oct 01:44 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 11:25 UTC4.37 km Forecast23 Oct 15:11 UTC23 Oct 01:44 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
893 m10-26 05:14 UTC
COSMOS 2398COSMOS 1275 DEB
1.18 km10-26 06:57 UTC
COSMOS 2195COSMOS 2398
1.90 km10-29 03:14 UTC
COSMOS 2389COSMOS 2398

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 2398 ⟷ COSMOS 1275: 3.84 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/12504-27818 (accessed 2026-10-29).