Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2278 ⟷ COSMOS 1275 DEB
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2278NORAD 23087 · launched Apr 1994Military payload
3.77kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1275 DEBNORAD 17614 · launched Jun 1981Military debris
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 7 min before the pass.
Closest approach31 Oct 202620:44 UTC
Relative speed9.67 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude852 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed31 Oct20:36 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2278Track COSMOS 1275 DEBAll approaches
Share

RU COSMOS 2278 and RU COSMOS 1275 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.77 km at 2026-10-31 20:44 UTC, at a relative speed of 9.67 km/s. Final forecast, made 7 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 mattersOne side of this pass cannot maneuver, so any avoidance decision rests with the other operator. Screening continues as new element sets arrive.

The Two Objects

Dossiers from the satellite directory
COSMOS 2278Payload
NORAD 23087
CountryCIS
Launched1994-04-23
OrbitLEO · 839 × 850 km
COSPAR1994-023A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 1275 DEBDebris
NORAD 17614
CountryCIS
Launched1981-06-04
OrbitLEO · 827 × 887 km
COSPAR1981-053KH
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 852 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 852 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 2278 ⟷ COSMOS 1275 DEB
2026-10-31 20:443.77 km Final forecast9.67 km/s852 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
31 Oct 09:16 UTC3.77 km Forecast31 Oct 20:44 UTC31 Oct 00:47 UTCRe-check
30 Oct 22:02 UTC4.07 km Forecast31 Oct 20:44 UTC30 Oct 07:50 UTCRe-check
30 Oct 21:42 UTC4.41 km Forecast31 Oct 20:44 UTC30 Oct 07:50 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
796 m10-29 01:45 UTC
COSMOS 2278NOAA 16 DEB
1.98 km10-31 09:44 UTC
COSMOS 2278FENGYUN 1C DEB
3.19 km11-01 02:44 UTC
COSMOS 2278THORAD AGENA D 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 2278 ⟷ COSMOS 1275 DEB: 3.77 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/17614-23087 (accessed 2026-11-01).