Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2009 ⟷ COSMOS 2038
MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2009NORAD 19903 · launched Mar 1989Military payload
5.82kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 2038NORAD 20232 · launched Sep 1989Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 17 min before the pass.
Closest approach27 Oct 202604:40 UTC
Relative speed14.02 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,410 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed27 Oct04:24 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2009Track COSMOS 2038All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2009 and RU COSMOS 2038 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.82 km at 2026-10-27 04:40 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.02 km/s. Final forecast, made 17 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 2009Payload
NORAD 19903
CountryCIS
Launched1989-03-24
OrbitLEO · 1,408 × 1,472 km
COSPAR1989-025B
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 2038Payload
NORAD 20232
CountryCIS
Launched1989-09-14
OrbitLEO · 1,391 × 1,410 km
COSPAR1989-074A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1410 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1410 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 2009 ⟷ COSMOS 2038
2026-10-27 04:405.82 km Final forecast14.02 km/s1,410 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
26 Oct 16:41 UTC5.82 km Forecast27 Oct 04:40 UTC26 Oct 06:47 UTCRe-check
26 Oct 10:28 UTC5.82 km Forecast27 Oct 04:40 UTC25 Oct 23:13 UTCRe-check
26 Oct 10:06 UTC6.70 km Forecast27 Oct 04:40 UTC25 Oct 23:13 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.74 km10-27 07:17 UTC
COSMOS 2009DELTA 1 DEB
3.55 km10-26 08:17 UTC
COSMOS 2038COSMOS 1693
3.70 km10-28 08:44 UTC
COSMOS 2009SL-14 DEB

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 2009 ⟷ COSMOS 2038: 5.82 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/19903-20232 (accessed 2026-10-30).