Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2071 ⟷ COSMOS 1288
medium · PROXIMITY
7.46 kmmiss distance
Closest approach (TCA)
2026-10-11 05:32 UTC
Relative speed
12.52 km/s
Altitude
Current separation
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On 2026-10-11 05:32 UTC, RU COSMOS 2071 and RU COSMOS 1288 reached a closest approach (TCA) of 7.46 km, with a relative velocity of 12.52 km/s. Miss distance and time of closest approach are computed by propagating the latest published orbital elements for both objects, and values update 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 20556
CountryCIS
Launched1990-04-06
COSPAR1990-029H
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 12637
CountryCIS
Launched1981-08-06
COSPAR1981-074B
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1459 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1459 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 recorded pass under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2071 ⟷ COSMOS 1288
Now7.46 km12.52 km/s1,459 kmThis page

Repeat encounters are common for objects in near-intersecting orbital planes; each pass is re-screened as fresh element sets arrive.

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.11 km10-17 19:08 UTC
COSMOS 2066COSMOS 2071
4.93 km10-15 10:01 UTC
COSMOS 2071SL-14 R/B
7.49 km10-12 17:11 UTC
COSMOS 2071THORAD DELTA 1 DEB

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 2071 ⟷ COSMOS 1288: 7.46 km close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/12637-20556 (accessed 2026-10-17).