Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2173 ⟷ COSMOS 1375 DEB
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2173NORAD 21796 · launched Nov 1991Military payload
2.65kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1375 DEBNORAD 17802 · launched Jun 1982Military debris
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
Closest approach25 Oct 202604:10 UTC
Relative speed9.96 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude998 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed25 Oct04:09 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2173Track COSMOS 1375 DEBAll approaches
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RU COSMOS 2173 and RU COSMOS 1375 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.65 km at 2026-10-25 04:10 UTC, at a relative speed of 9.96 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 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 2173Payload
NORAD 21796
CountryCIS
Launched1991-11-27
OrbitLEO · 943 × 1,015 km
COSPAR1991-081A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 1375 DEBDebris
NORAD 17802
CountryCIS
Launched1982-06-06
OrbitLEO · 938 × 1,007 km
COSPAR1982-055AU
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 2173 ⟷ COSMOS 1375 DEB
2026-10-25 04:102.65 km Final forecast9.96 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
24 Oct 12:29 UTC2.65 km Forecast25 Oct 04:10 UTC24 Oct 04:02 UTCRe-check
24 Oct 04:29 UTC2.71 km Forecast25 Oct 04:10 UTC23 Oct 07:02 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.66 km10-26 13:12 UTC
COSMOS 2173COSMOS 1745
2.71 km10-26 01:46 UTC
COSMOS 2173SL-8 R/B
2.99 km10-21 06:03 UTC
COSMOS 2173HBTSS-SV2

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 2173 ⟷ COSMOS 1375 DEB: 2.65 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/17802-21796 (accessed 2026-10-26).