Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2181 ⟷ COSMOS 1386
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2181NORAD 21902 · launched Mar 1992Military payload
4.17kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1386NORAD 13353 · launched Jul 1982Military payload
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 23 Oct 20:30 UTC.
Closest approach23 Oct 202621:40 UTC
Relative speed14.26 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,013 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live
Track COSMOS 2181Track COSMOS 1386All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2181 and RU COSMOS 1386 are predicted to reach a closest approach of 4.17 km at 2026-10-23 21:40 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.26 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 23 Oct 20:30 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
COSMOS 2181Payload
NORAD 21902
CountryCIS
Launched1992-03-09
OrbitLEO · 968 × 1,012 km
COSPAR1992-012A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 1386Payload
NORAD 13353
CountryCIS
Launched1982-07-07
OrbitLEO · 946 × 1,005 km
COSPAR1982-069A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1013 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1013 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 2181 ⟷ COSMOS 1386
2026-10-23 21:404.17 km Live forecast14.26 km/s1,013 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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 10:16 UTC4.17 km Forecast23 Oct 21:40 UTC23 Oct 05:12 UTCRe-check
22 Oct 22:36 UTC4.14 km Forecast23 Oct 21:40 UTC22 Oct 16:36 UTCRe-check
22 Oct 22:16 UTC9.19 km Forecast23 Oct 21:40 UTC22 Oct 16:36 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
338 m10-20 19:11 UTC
COSMOS 2181SL-16 DEB
3.23 km10-24 00:04 UTC
COSMOS 2181SDA_1676
4.43 km10-21 05:29 UTC
COSMOS 2181SL-8 R/B

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 2181 ⟷ COSMOS 1386: 4.17 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/13353-21902 (accessed 2026-10-23).