Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›USA 32 ⟷ IRIDIUM 145
HighProximity
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 14 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 4.80 km at 28 Oct 12:10 UTC.
Closest approach28 Oct 202612:10 UTC
Relative speed14.65 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude787 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed28 Oct11:56 UTC · final forecast

US USA 32 and US IRIDIUM 145 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 4.69 km at 2026-10-28 12:10 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.65 km/s. Final forecast, made 14 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 4.80 km at 28 Oct 12:10 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
USA 32Payload
NORAD 19460
CountryUS
Launched1988-09-05
COSPAR1988-078A
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 43253
CountryUS
Launched2018-03-30
COSPAR2018-030E
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 787 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 787 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

2 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · USA 32 ⟷ IRIDIUM 145
2026-10-28 15:311.33 km Final forecast14.65 km/s787 kmView →
2026-10-28 12:104.69 km Final forecast14.65 km/s787 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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 10:16 UTC4.80 km Best estimate28 Oct 12:10 UTC28 Oct 15:38 UTCBest estimate
28 Oct 11:39 UTC4.69 km Forecast28 Oct 12:10 UTC28 Oct 06:17 UTCRe-check
28 Oct 07:43 UTC4.74 km Forecast28 Oct 12:10 UTC28 Oct 01:11 UTCRe-check
28 Oct 01:43 UTC4.75 km Forecast28 Oct 12:10 UTC27 Oct 21:40 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 19:43 UTC4.64 km Forecast28 Oct 12:10 UTC27 Oct 12:28 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 13:43 UTC4.69 km Forecast28 Oct 12:10 UTC27 Oct 10:10 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 13:24 UTC9.68 km Forecast28 Oct 12:10 UTC27 Oct 10:10 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
389 m10-30 17:50 UTC
USA 32IRIDIUM 168
917 m11-04 01:48 UTC
USA 32SL-8 R/B
1.49 km11-02 19:30 UTC
USA 32IRIDIUM 160

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 →