Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2160 ⟷ COSMOS 1914
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2160NORAD 21731 · launched Sep 1991Military payload
3.66kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1914NORAD 18793 · launched Jan 1988Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 15 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 3.63 km at 28 Oct 07:18 UTC.
Closest approach28 Oct 202607:18 UTC
Relative speed10.14 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,417 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed28 Oct07:03 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2160Track COSMOS 1914All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2160 and RU COSMOS 1914 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.66 km at 2026-10-28 07:18 UTC, at a relative speed of 10.14 km/s. Final forecast, made 15 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 3.63 km at 28 Oct 07:18 UTC. 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 2160Payload
NORAD 21731
CountryCIS
Launched1991-09-28
OrbitLEO · 1,396 × 1,411 km
COSPAR1991-068D
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 · 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

1 predicted pass under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2160 ⟷ COSMOS 1914
2026-10-28 07:183.66 km Final forecast10.14 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
1 Nov 04:36 UTC3.63 km Best estimate28 Oct 07:18 UTC28 Oct 12:31 UTCBest estimate
27 Oct 13:00 UTC3.66 km Forecast28 Oct 07:18 UTC27 Oct 06:06 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 09:06 UTC3.73 km Forecast28 Oct 07:18 UTC26 Oct 22:13 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 07:44 UTC3.78 km Forecast28 Oct 07:18 UTC26 Oct 05:26 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 07:24 UTC7.12 km Forecast28 Oct 07:18 UTC26 Oct 05:26 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
455 m11-01 11:00 UTC
COSMOS 2160GONETS D1 1
2.74 km10-27 15:56 UTC
COSMOS 2160GLOBALSTAR M037
3.39 km10-27 21:49 UTC
COSMOS 2160GONETS D1 6

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 2160 ⟷ COSMOS 1914: 3.66 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/18793-21731 (accessed 2026-11-01).