Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 970 DEB ⟷ SL-8 R/B
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 970 DEBNORAD 65002 · launched Dec 1977Military debris
3.84kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaSL-8 R/BNORAD 15598 · launched Mar 1985Rocket body
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 27 Oct 20:44 UTC.
Closest approach28 Oct 202607:00 UTC
Relative speed14.04 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude974 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live
Track COSMOS 970 DEBTrack SL-8 R/BAll approaches
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RU COSMOS 970 DEB and RU SL-8 R/B are predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.84 km at 2026-10-28 07:00 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.04 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 27 Oct 20:44 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 mattersNeither object can maneuver: the miss distance will evolve only with natural orbital perturbations, so screening continues until the pass is over.

The Two Objects

Dossiers from the satellite directory
COSMOS 970 DEBDebris
NORAD 65002
CountryCIS
Launched1977-12-21
OrbitLEO · 901 × 1,054 km
COSPAR1977-121DP
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
Profile →Globe →
SL-8 R/BR/B
NORAD 15598
CountryCIS
Launched1985-03-14
OrbitLEO · 960 × 990 km
COSPAR1985-022B
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 · 974 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 974 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 970 DEB ⟷ SL-8 R/B
2026-10-28 07:003.84 km Live forecast14.04 km/s974 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
27 Oct 13:00 UTC3.84 km Forecast28 Oct 07:00 UTC27 Oct 05:03 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 10:45 UTC4.36 km Forecast28 Oct 07:00 UTC26 Oct 23:12 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 10:26 UTC7.97 km Forecast28 Oct 07:00 UTC26 Oct 23:12 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.35 km10-27 10:09 UTC
COSMOS 970 DEBSL-8 R/B
2.06 km10-28 04:28 UTC
COSMOS 970 DEBSL-8 R/B
3.29 km10-27 00:12 UTC
COSMOS 970 DEBSL-16 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 970 DEB ⟷ SL-8 R/B: 3.84 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/15598-65002 (accessed 2026-10-27).