Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 1996 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M079
MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 1996NORAD 19787 · launched Feb 1989Military payload
5.61kmPredicted miss distance
GLOBGLOBALSTAR M079NORAD 37188 · launched Oct 2010Payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
Closest approach22 Oct 202615:44 UTC
Relative speed12.91 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,419 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed22 Oct15:42 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 1996Track GLOBALSTAR M079All approaches
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RU COSMOS 1996 and GLOB GLOBALSTAR M079 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.61 km at 2026-10-22 15:44 UTC, at a relative speed of 12.91 km/s. Final forecast, made minutes 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 1996Payload
NORAD 19787
CountryCIS
Launched1989-02-10
OrbitLEO · 1,405 × 1,417 km
COSPAR1989-009C
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
GLOBALSTAR M079Payload
NORAD 37188
CountryGLOB
Launched2010-10-19
OrbitLEO · 1,413 × 1,414 km
COSPAR2010-054A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1419 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1419 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 1996 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M079
2026-10-22 15:445.61 km Final forecast12.91 km/s1,419 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
22 Oct 12:43 UTC5.61 km Forecast22 Oct 15:44 UTC22 Oct 06:25 UTCRe-check
22 Oct 12:30 UTC8.15 km Forecast22 Oct 15:44 UTC22 Oct 06:25 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
4.94 km10-17 07:56 UTC
COSMOS 1996COSMOS 1235
6.05 km10-22 12:10 UTC
COSMOS 2043GLOBALSTAR M079
6.33 km10-21 21:56 UTC
COSMOS 1996COSMOS 445

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 1996 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M079: 5.61 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/19787-37188 (accessed 2026-10-23).