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HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 1997NORAD 19788 · launched Feb 1989Military payload
2.79kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1879NORAD 18338 · launched Sep 1987Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 9 min before the pass.
Closest approach4 Nov 202620:32 UTC
Relative speed8.97 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,397 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed4 Nov20:23 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 1997Track COSMOS 1879All approaches
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RU COSMOS 1997 and RU COSMOS 1879 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.79 km at 2026-11-04 20:32 UTC, at a relative speed of 8.97 km/s. Final forecast, made 9 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 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 1997Payload
NORAD 19788
CountryCIS
Launched1989-02-10
OrbitLEO · 1,400 × 1,416 km
COSPAR1989-009D
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 1879Payload
NORAD 18338
CountryCIS
Launched1987-09-07
OrbitLEO · 1,398 × 1,406 km
COSPAR1987-074E
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1397 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1397 km this pass sits in low Earth orbit. 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 1997 ⟷ COSMOS 1879
2026-11-04 20:322.79 km Final forecast8.97 km/s1,397 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
4 Nov 17:58 UTC2.79 km Forecast4 Nov 20:32 UTC4 Nov 09:18 UTCRe-check
4 Nov 09:33 UTC2.75 km Forecast4 Nov 20:32 UTC4 Nov 03:46 UTCRe-check
3 Nov 22:04 UTC2.79 km Forecast4 Nov 20:32 UTC3 Nov 15:42 UTCRe-check
3 Nov 21:44 UTC3.53 km Forecast4 Nov 20:32 UTC3 Nov 15:42 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
929 m11-06 00:04 UTC
COSMOS 1997COSMOS 2040
2.36 km11-07 04:18 UTC
COSMOS 1997DELTA 1 DEB
2.98 km11-04 09:08 UTC
COSMOS 1997COSMOS 2159

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 →