HomeManeuver TrackerClose ApproachesCOSMOS 1275 DEB ⟷ FENGYUN 1C
high · CROSS-BORDER
9.37 kmmiss distance
Closest approach (TCA)
2026-09-15 17:34 UTC
Relative speed
14.86 km/s
Altitude
Current separation
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On 2026-09-15 17:34 UTC, RU COSMOS 1275 DEB and CN FENGYUN 1C reached a closest approach (TCA) of 9.37 km, with a relative velocity of 14.86 km/s. This is a cross-border encounter between objects of different nations, the kind of event closely watched for space-security implications. 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 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
NORAD 13804
CountryCIS
Launched1981-06-04
COSPAR1981-053GY
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
FENGYUN 1CPayload
NORAD 25730
CountryPRC
Launched1999-05-10
COSPAR1999-025A
Maneuver capableUnknown
2007 ASAT test, 3,500+ fragments

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 802 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 802 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 recorded pass under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 1275 DEB ⟷ FENGYUN 1C
Now9.37 km14.86 km/s802 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
4.58 km09-14 12:24 UTC
COSMOS 1275 DEBCZ-4 DEB
4.62 km09-09 00:02 UTC
COSMOS 1656FENGYUN 1C
6.07 km09-11 08:41 UTC
COSMOS 1275 DEBDMSP 5D-2 F11 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 1275 DEB ⟷ FENGYUN 1C: 9.37 km close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/13804-25730 (accessed 2026-09-14).
✓ Permanent record. This encounter met the notability thresholds and keeps an archived page after the pass.