Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2043 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M079
MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2043NORAD 20237 · launched Sep 1989Military payload
8.44kmPredicted miss distance
GLOBGLOBALSTAR M079NORAD 37188 · launched Oct 2010Payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 5 min before the pass.
Closest approach22 Oct 202613:07 UTC
Relative speed7.43 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,405 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed22 Oct13:02 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2043Track GLOBALSTAR M079All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2043 and GLOB GLOBALSTAR M079 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 8.44 km at 2026-10-22 13:07 UTC, at a relative speed of 7.43 km/s. Final forecast, made 5 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 2043Payload
NORAD 20237
CountryCIS
Launched1989-09-14
OrbitLEO · 1,406 × 1,411 km
COSPAR1989-074F
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 · 1405 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1405 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

3 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2043 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M079
2026-10-22 13:078.44 km Final forecast7.43 km/s1,405 kmShown above
2026-10-22 12:106.05 km Final forecast7.41 km/s1,417 kmView →
2026-10-22 10:169.76 km Final forecast7.39 km/s1,417 kmView →

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 13:02 UTC8.44 km Forecast22 Oct 13:07 UTC22 Oct 08:04 UTCRe-check
22 Oct 12:43 UTC8.83 km Forecast22 Oct 13:07 UTC22 Oct 08:04 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
4.25 km10-18 20:01 UTC
COSMOS 2043GONETS D1 6
5.54 km10-20 20:53 UTC
COSMOS 2043GLOBALSTAR M082
5.61 km10-22 15:44 UTC
COSMOS 1996GLOBALSTAR M079

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 2043 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M079: 8.44 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/20237-37188 (accessed 2026-10-23).