Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 970 DEB ⟷ COSMOS 1375 DEB
MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 970 DEBNORAD 64997 · launched Dec 1977Military debris
5.32kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1375 DEBNORAD 17800 · launched Jun 1982Military debris
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
Closest approach22 Oct 202618:46 UTC
Relative speed2.35 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude998 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed22 Oct18:42 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 970 DEBTrack COSMOS 1375 DEBAll approaches
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RU COSMOS 970 DEB and RU COSMOS 1375 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.32 km at 2026-10-22 18:46 UTC, at a relative speed of 2.35 km/s. Final forecast, made minutes 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 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 64997
CountryCIS
Launched1977-12-21
OrbitLEO · 899 × 1,111 km
COSPAR1977-121DJ
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 1375 DEBDebris
NORAD 17800
CountryCIS
Launched1982-06-06
OrbitLEO · 974 × 1,019 km
COSPAR1982-055AS
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 · 998 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 998 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
2026-10-22 18:465.32 km Final forecast2.35 km/s998 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
22 Oct 02:04 UTC5.32 km Forecast22 Oct 18:46 UTC21 Oct 08:18 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 19:10 UTC5.32 km Forecast22 Oct 18:46 UTC21 Oct 02:01 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 18:50 UTC5.74 km Forecast22 Oct 18:46 UTC21 Oct 02:01 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
5.25 km10-22 02:12 UTC
COSMOS 2366COSMOS 970 DEB
6.25 km10-21 04:23 UTC
COSMOS 970 DEBTHORAD AGENA D DEB
6.94 km10-19 12:48 UTC
COSMOS 970 DEBNIMBUS 2 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 ⟷ COSMOS 1375 DEB: 5.32 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/17800-64997 (accessed 2026-10-22).