Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2039 ⟷ COSMOS 1914
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2039NORAD 20233 · launched Sep 1989Military payload
4.62kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1914NORAD 18793 · launched Jan 1988Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
Closest approach24 Oct 202607:30 UTC
Relative speed3.57 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,377 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed24 Oct07:29 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2039Track COSMOS 1914All approaches
Share

RU COSMOS 2039 and RU COSMOS 1914 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 4.62 km at 2026-10-24 07:30 UTC, at a relative speed of 3.57 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 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 2039Payload
NORAD 20233
CountryCIS
Launched1989-09-14
OrbitLEO · 1,385 × 1,409 km
COSPAR1989-074B
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 1914Payload
NORAD 18793
CountryCIS
Launched1988-01-15
OrbitLEO · 1,382 × 1,410 km
COSPAR1988-002F
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1377 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1377 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

2 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2039 ⟷ COSMOS 1914
2026-10-24 07:304.62 km Final forecast3.57 km/s1,377 kmShown above
2026-10-24 02:457.06 km Final forecast3.55 km/s1,416 kmView →

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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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 00:29 UTC4.62 km Forecast24 Oct 07:30 UTC23 Oct 19:43 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 11:14 UTC4.59 km Forecast24 Oct 07:30 UTC23 Oct 01:33 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 10:56 UTC5.57 km Forecast24 Oct 07:30 UTC23 Oct 01:33 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.14 km10-24 06:44 UTC
COSMOS 2039COSMOS 81
3.61 km10-20 19:09 UTC
COSMOS 2167COSMOS 1914
4.20 km10-21 23:34 UTC
COSMOS 2115COSMOS 1914

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 2039 ⟷ COSMOS 1914: 4.62 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/18793-20233 (accessed 2026-10-25).