Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›YAOGAN-32 A ⟷ SL-8 DEB *
HighCross-border
On permanent record
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 21 Oct 11:47 UTC.
Closest approach22 Oct 202608:41 UTC
Relative speed9.76 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude693 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live

CN YAOGAN-32 A and RU SL-8 DEB * are predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.56 km at 2026-10-22 08:41 UTC, at a relative speed of 9.76 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 21 Oct 11:47 UTC. This is a cross-border encounter between objects of different nations, the kind of event closely watched for space-security implications. 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
NORAD 43642
CountryPRC
Launched2018-10-09
COSPAR2018-077A
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 18502
CountryCIS
Launched1982-06-01
COSPAR1982-051D
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 693 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 693 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 · YAOGAN-32 A ⟷ SL-8 DEB *
2026-10-22 08:413.56 km Live forecast9.76 km/s693 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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 UTC3.56 km Forecast22 Oct 08:41 UTC21 Oct 05:17 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 09:27 UTC9.55 km Forecast22 Oct 08:41 UTC20 Oct 22:43 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.20 km10-18 17:02 UTC
YAOGAN-32 ASL-8 R/B
4.64 km10-18 04:45 UTC
YAOGAN-32 AFENGYUN 1C DEB
5.25 km10-22 03:48 UTC
YAOGAN-32 AFENGYUN 1C 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 — “YAOGAN-32 A ⟷ SL-8 DEB *: 3.56 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/18502-43642 (accessed 2026-10-21).
✓ Permanent record. This encounter met the notability thresholds and keeps an archived page after the pass.