Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2310 ⟷ COSMOS 1821
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2310NORAD 23526 · launched Mar 1995Military payload
2.81kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1821NORAD 17525 · launched Feb 1987Military payload
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 21 Oct 12:47 UTC.
Closest approach21 Oct 202622:02 UTC
Relative speed2.33 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude996 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live
Track COSMOS 2310Track COSMOS 1821All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2310 and RU COSMOS 1821 are predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.81 km at 2026-10-21 22:02 UTC, at a relative speed of 2.33 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 21 Oct 12:47 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 2310Payload
NORAD 23526
CountryCIS
Launched1995-03-21
OrbitLEO · 976 × 1,007 km
COSPAR1995-012A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 1821Payload
NORAD 17525
CountryCIS
Launched1987-02-18
OrbitLEO · 959 × 1,012 km
COSPAR1987-017A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 996 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 996 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 2310 ⟷ COSMOS 1821
2026-10-21 22:022.81 km Live forecast2.33 km/s996 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
21 Oct 09:46 UTC2.81 km Forecast21 Oct 22:02 UTC21 Oct 03:13 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 03:52 UTC2.81 km Forecast21 Oct 22:02 UTC20 Oct 21:43 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 22:32 UTC3.02 km Forecast21 Oct 22:02 UTC20 Oct 07:13 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 22:12 UTC3.71 km Forecast21 Oct 22:02 UTC20 Oct 07:13 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.62 km10-17 05:17 UTC
COSMOS 2310QIANFAN-26
4.50 km10-22 07:40 UTC
COSMOS 2310QIANFAN-216
4.91 km10-20 15:30 UTC
COSMOS 2310OPS 7898 (P/L 3)

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 2310 ⟷ COSMOS 1821: 2.81 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/17525-23526 (accessed 2026-10-21).