Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2160 ⟷ COSMOS 1692
MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2160NORAD 21731 · launched Sep 1991Military payload
5.20kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1692NORAD 16140 · launched Oct 1985Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 11 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 5.21 km at 2 Nov 05:58 UTC.
Closest approach2 Nov 202605:58 UTC
Relative speed8.53 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,387 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed2 Nov05:47 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2160Track COSMOS 1692All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2160 and RU COSMOS 1692 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.20 km at 2026-11-02 05:58 UTC, at a relative speed of 8.53 km/s. Final forecast, made 11 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 5.21 km at 2 Nov 05:58 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 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 2160Payload
NORAD 21731
CountryCIS
Launched1991-09-28
OrbitLEO · 1,396 × 1,411 km
COSPAR1991-068D
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 1692Payload
NORAD 16140
CountryCIS
Launched1985-10-09
OrbitLEO · 1,388 × 1,417 km
COSPAR1985-094C
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1387 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1387 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

3 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2160 ⟷ COSMOS 1692
2026-11-02 16:258.93 km Final forecast8.49 km/s1,419 kmView →
2026-11-02 14:313.64 km Final forecast8.49 km/s1,419 kmView →
2026-11-02 05:585.20 km Final forecast8.53 km/s1,387 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
5 Nov 06:11 UTC5.21 km Best estimate2 Nov 05:58 UTC2 Nov 11:16 UTCBest estimate
2 Nov 03:27 UTC5.20 km Forecast2 Nov 05:58 UTC1 Nov 12:32 UTCRe-check
1 Nov 20:48 UTC5.19 km Forecast2 Nov 05:58 UTC1 Nov 07:36 UTCRe-check
1 Nov 20:32 UTC6.34 km Forecast2 Nov 05:58 UTC1 Nov 07:36 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
455 m11-01 11:00 UTC
COSMOS 2160GONETS D1 1
2.40 km11-01 19:32 UTC
COSMOS 2304COSMOS 1692
3.66 km11-01 13:52 UTC
COSMOS 2160COSMOS 2304

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 →