Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 1994 ⟷ COSMOS 506
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 1994NORAD 19785 · launched Feb 1989Military payload
3.48kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 506NORAD 6119 · launched Jul 1972Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 19 min before the pass.
Closest approach26 Oct 202601:01 UTC
Relative speed6.23 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,416 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed26 Oct00:43 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 1994Track COSMOS 506All approaches
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RU COSMOS 1994 and RU COSMOS 506 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.48 km at 2026-10-26 01:01 UTC, at a relative speed of 6.23 km/s. Final forecast, made 19 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 1994Payload
NORAD 19785
CountryCIS
Launched1989-02-10
OrbitLEO · 1,395 × 1,415 km
COSPAR1989-009A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 506Payload
NORAD 6119
CountryCIS
Launched1972-07-20
OrbitLEO · 1,381 × 1,496 km
COSPAR1972-057C
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1416 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1416 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 1994 ⟷ COSMOS 506
2026-10-26 01:013.48 km Final forecast6.23 km/s1,416 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
25 Oct 09:10 UTC3.48 km Forecast26 Oct 01:01 UTC23 Oct 22:27 UTCRe-check
25 Oct 08:51 UTC3.58 km Forecast26 Oct 01:01 UTC23 Oct 22:27 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.15 km10-25 23:18 UTC
COSMOS 1994DELTA 1 DEB
2.56 km10-26 12:29 UTC
COSMOS 1994COSMOS 2269
2.70 km10-24 02:09 UTC
COSMOS 2409COSMOS 506

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 1994 ⟷ COSMOS 506: 3.48 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/19785-6119 (accessed 2026-10-27).