Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 970 DEB ⟷ COSMOS 1375 DEB
MediumProximity
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 16 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 7.09 km at 28 Oct 12:51 UTC.
Closest approach28 Oct 202612:51 UTC
Relative speed11.60 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude942 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed28 Oct12:35 UTC · final forecast

RU COSMOS 970 DEB and RU COSMOS 1375 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 7.16 km at 2026-10-28 12:51 UTC, at a relative speed of 11.60 km/s. Final forecast, made 16 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 7.09 km at 28 Oct 12:51 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
NORAD 64996
CountryCIS
Launched1977-12-21
COSPAR1977-121DH
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
NORAD 17090
CountryCIS
Launched1982-06-06
COSPAR1982-055AC
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 942 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 942 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 ⟷ COSMOS 1375 DEB
2026-10-28 12:517.16 km Final forecast11.60 km/s942 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
1 Nov 10:56 UTC7.09 km Best estimate28 Oct 12:51 UTC28 Oct 07:15 UTCBest estimate
27 Oct 14:03 UTC7.16 km Forecast28 Oct 12:51 UTC26 Oct 23:38 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 13:43 UTC7.28 km Forecast28 Oct 12:51 UTC26 Oct 23:38 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
5.16 km10-27 19:14 UTC
COSMOS 970 DEBSL-8 R/B
5.50 km11-02 19:42 UTC
COSMOS 2463COSMOS 970 DEB
7.36 km10-27 07:19 UTC
COSMOS 970 DEBCOSMOS 1579 COOLANT

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 ⟷ COSMOS 1375 DEB: 7.16 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/17090-64996 (accessed 2026-11-02).