Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2168 ⟷ COSMOS 1913
MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2168NORAD 21782 · launched Nov 1991Military payload
8.34kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1913NORAD 18792 · launched Jan 1988Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 8 min before the pass.
Closest approach23 Oct 202623:16 UTC
Drift speed464 m/s1,672 km/h, seen from COSMOS 1913
Altitude1,417 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed23 Oct23:09 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2168Track COSMOS 1913All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2168 and RU COSMOS 1913 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 8.34 km at 2026-10-23 23:16 UTC, drifting past at about 464 m/s (1,672 km/h) as seen from COSMOS 1913. Final forecast, made 8 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 2168Payload
NORAD 21782
CountryCIS
Launched1991-11-12
OrbitLEO · 1,389 × 1,411 km
COSPAR1991-077D
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 1913Payload
NORAD 18792
CountryCIS
Launched1988-01-15
OrbitLEO · 1,388 × 1,410 km
COSPAR1988-002E
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1417 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1417 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

4 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2168 ⟷ COSMOS 1913
2026-10-24 07:492.53 km Final forecast0.47 km/s1,383 kmView →
2026-10-24 05:557.21 km Final forecast0.47 km/s1,383 kmView →
2026-10-24 01:104.08 km Final forecast0.46 km/s1,417 kmView →
2026-10-23 23:168.34 km Final forecast0.46 km/s1,417 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
23 Oct 18:29 UTC8.34 km Forecast23 Oct 23:16 UTC22 Oct 23:42 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 10:16 UTC8.33 km Forecast23 Oct 23:16 UTC22 Oct 23:42 UTCRe-check
22 Oct 23:36 UTC8.33 km Forecast23 Oct 23:16 UTC22 Oct 15:53 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.34 km10-26 05:20 UTC
COSMOS 2169COSMOS 1913
3.68 km10-21 14:24 UTC
COSMOS 2168COSMOS 1876
3.87 km10-24 03:04 UTC
COSMOS 2168COSMOS 2200

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 2168 ⟷ COSMOS 1913: 8.34 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/18792-21782 (accessed 2026-10-26).