Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2233 ⟷ SL-8 R/B
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2233NORAD 22487 · launched Feb 1993Military payload
3.33kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaSL-8 R/BNORAD 13917 · launched Mar 1983Rocket body
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 15 min before the pass.
Closest approach22 Oct 202607:39 UTC
Relative speed13.84 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude944 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed22 Oct07:24 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2233Track SL-8 R/BAll approaches
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RU COSMOS 2233 and RU SL-8 R/B were predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.33 km at 2026-10-22 07:39 UTC, at a relative speed of 13.84 km/s. Final forecast, made 15 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 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
COSMOS 2233Payload
NORAD 22487
CountryCIS
Launched1993-02-09
OrbitLEO · 949 × 1,007 km
COSPAR1993-008A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
SL-8 R/BR/B
NORAD 13917
CountryCIS
Launched1983-03-24
OrbitLEO · 952 × 996 km
COSPAR1983-021B
Maneuver capableNo
Spent rocket stage: uncontrolled, tracked by the public catalogue.
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 944 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 944 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 2233 ⟷ SL-8 R/B
2026-10-22 07:393.33 km Final forecast13.84 km/s944 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
22 Oct 02:04 UTC3.33 km Forecast22 Oct 07:39 UTC21 Oct 14:43 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 20:04 UTC3.33 km Forecast22 Oct 07:39 UTC21 Oct 05:55 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 19:45 UTC6.55 km Forecast22 Oct 07:39 UTC21 Oct 05:55 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.72 km10-24 05:32 UTC
COSMOS 2233SL-16 DEB
2.73 km10-20 18:17 UTC
COSMOS 2233CZ-6A DEB
3.29 km10-23 18:12 UTC
YAOGAN-50 02 DEBSL-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 2233 ⟷ SL-8 R/B: 3.33 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/13917-22487 (accessed 2026-10-24).