HomeManeuver TrackerClose ApproachesGB 2 ⟷ COSMOS 1799
high · CROSS-BORDER
9.93 kmmiss distance
Closest approach (TCA)
2026-09-15 14:05 UTC
Relative speed
1.41 km/s
Altitude
Current separation
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On 2026-09-15 14:05 UTC, US GB 2 and RU COSMOS 1799 reached a closest approach (TCA) of 9.93 km, with a relative velocity of 1.41 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 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
GB 2Payload
NORAD 14144
CountryUS
Launched1983-06-09
COSPAR1983-056D
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 17143
CountryCIS
Launched1986-11-21
COSPAR1986-092F
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1419 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1419 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 · GB 2 ⟷ COSMOS 1799
Now9.93 km1.41 km/s1,419 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
2.67 km09-10 11:17 UTC
COSMOS 1722COSMOS 1799
5.14 km09-09 08:17 UTC
GB 2DELTA 1 DEB
7.27 km09-15 09:54 UTC
COSMOS 1799DELTA 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 — “GB 2 ⟷ COSMOS 1799: 9.93 km close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/14144-17143 (accessed 2026-09-15).