Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›USA 32 ⟷ ARIANE 5 R/B
high · PROXIMITY
2.08 kmmiss distance
Closest approach (TCA)
2026-09-23 14:30 UTC
Relative speed
13.48 km/s
Altitude
Current separation
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On 2026-09-23 14:30 UTC, US USA 32 and FR ARIANE 5 R/B reached a closest approach (TCA) of 2.08 km, with a relative velocity of 13.48 km/s. Miss distance and time of closest approach are computed by propagating the latest published orbital elements for both objects, and values update 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
USA 32Payload
NORAD 19460
CountryUS
Launched1988-09-05
COSPAR1988-078A
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 27387
CountryFR
Launched2002-03-01
COSPAR2002-009B
Maneuver capableNo
Spent rocket stage: uncontrolled, tracked by the public catalogue.

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 767 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 767 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 recorded pass under 10 km
Pair history · USA 32 ⟷ ARIANE 5 R/B
Now2.08 km13.48 km/s767 kmThis page

Repeat encounters are common for objects in near-intersecting orbital planes; each pass is re-screened as fresh element sets arrive.

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.62 km09-26 10:07 UTC
USA 32IRIDIUM 143
3.52 km09-29 21:03 UTC
USA 32METEOR 2-17 DEB
4.54 km09-24 03:06 UTC
USA 32HAIYANG 1B

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 — “USA 32 ⟷ ARIANE 5 R/B: 2.08 km close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/19460-27387 (accessed 2026-09-29).