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MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 1996NORAD 19787 · launched Feb 1989Military payload
9.31kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaGONETS D1 8NORAD 27059 · launched Dec 2001Payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 8 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 9.25 km at 4 Nov 22:39 UTC.
Closest approach4 Nov 202622:39 UTC
Relative speed13.80 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,423 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed4 Nov22:31 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 1996Track GONETS D1 8All approaches
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RU COSMOS 1996 and RU GONETS D1 8 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 9.31 km at 2026-11-04 22:39 UTC, at a relative speed of 13.80 km/s. Final forecast, made 8 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 9.25 km at 4 Nov 22:39 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 1996Payload
NORAD 19787
CountryCIS
Launched1989-02-10
OrbitLEO · 1,405 × 1,417 km
COSPAR1989-009C
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
GONETS D1 8Payload
NORAD 27059
CountryCIS
Launched2001-12-28
OrbitLEO · 1,416 × 1,418 km
COSPAR2001-058E
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1423 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1423 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 1996 ⟷ GONETS D1 8
2026-11-05 00:334.40 km Final forecast · after: 4.45 km13.80 km/s1,423 kmView →
2026-11-04 22:399.31 km Final forecast · after: 9.25 km13.80 km/s1,423 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
8 Nov 19:12 UTC9.25 km Best estimate4 Nov 22:39 UTC4 Nov 22:58 UTCBest estimate
4 Nov 17:58 UTC9.31 km Forecast4 Nov 22:39 UTC4 Nov 11:33 UTCRe-check
4 Nov 09:52 UTC9.26 km Forecast4 Nov 22:39 UTC4 Nov 04:20 UTCRe-check
4 Nov 09:33 UTC9.54 km Forecast4 Nov 22:39 UTC4 Nov 04:20 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.41 km11-05 12:52 UTC
COSMOS 1996COSMOS 1230
2.59 km11-06 15:36 UTC
COSMOS 1996COSMOS 1156
2.65 km11-07 04:50 UTC
COSMOS 1996COSMOS 2256

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 →