Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2116 ⟷ COSMOS 1617
MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2116NORAD 21030 · launched Dec 1990Military payload
5.03kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1617NORAD 15469 · launched Jan 1985Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 9 min before the pass.
Closest approach10 Nov 202606:21 UTC
Relative speed10.04 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,418 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed10 Nov06:11 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2116Track COSMOS 1617All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2116 and RU COSMOS 1617 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.03 km at 2026-11-10 06:21 UTC, at a relative speed of 10.04 km/s. Final forecast, made 9 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 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 2116Payload
NORAD 21030
CountryCIS
Launched1990-12-22
OrbitLEO · 1,401 × 1,409 km
COSPAR1990-114C
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 1617Payload
NORAD 15469
CountryCIS
Launched1985-01-15
OrbitLEO · 1,412 × 1,413 km
COSPAR1985-003A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1418 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1418 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 predicted pass under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2116 ⟷ COSMOS 1617
2026-11-10 06:215.03 km Final forecast10.04 km/s1,418 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
9 Nov 21:51 UTC5.03 km Forecast10 Nov 06:21 UTC9 Nov 11:49 UTCRe-check
9 Nov 21:33 UTC5.30 km Forecast10 Nov 06:21 UTC9 Nov 05:11 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.52 km11-10 10:12 UTC
COSMOS 2116COSMOS 2166
2.48 km11-10 09:31 UTC
COSMOS 2272COSMOS 1617
2.54 km11-08 09:00 UTC
COSMOS 2116GLOBALSTAR M078

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 →