Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2056 ⟷ COSMOS 1867 COOLANT
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2056NORAD 20432 · launched Jan 1990Military payload
3.46kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1867 COOLANTNORAD 39674 · launched Jul 1987Military debris
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 10 min before the pass.
Closest approach21 Oct 202615:40 UTC
Relative speed8.88 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude769 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed21 Oct15:30 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2056Track COSMOS 1867 COOLANTAll approaches
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RU COSMOS 2056 and RU COSMOS 1867 COOLANT were predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.46 km at 2026-10-21 15:40 UTC, at a relative speed of 8.88 km/s. Final forecast, made 10 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 mattersOne side of this pass cannot maneuver, so any avoidance decision rests with the other operator. Screening continues as new element sets arrive.

The Two Objects

Dossiers from the satellite directory
COSMOS 2056Payload
NORAD 20432
CountryCIS
Launched1990-01-18
OrbitLEO · 761 × 794 km
COSPAR1990-004A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 1867 COOLANTDebris
NORAD 39674
CountryCIS
Launched1987-07-10
OrbitLEO · 761 × 790 km
COSPAR1987-060AM
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 769 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 769 km this pass sits inside the most congested band in low Earth orbit, home to the debris left by the 2007 ASAT test and the 2009 collision. 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 2056 ⟷ COSMOS 1867 COOLANT
2026-10-21 15:403.46 km Final forecast8.88 km/s769 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
21 Oct 13:30 UTC3.46 km Forecast21 Oct 15:40 UTC20 Oct 23:14 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 03:52 UTC3.52 km Forecast21 Oct 15:40 UTC20 Oct 09:51 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 16:12 UTC3.58 km Forecast21 Oct 15:40 UTC19 Oct 17:06 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 15:52 UTC4.01 km Forecast21 Oct 15:40 UTC19 Oct 17:06 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
4.30 km10-18 23:20 UTC
COSMOS 2056ARIANE 1 DEB
4.61 km10-21 18:06 UTC
COSMOS 2056NIMBUS 2 DEB
4.65 km10-20 08:23 UTC
COSMOS 2056NOAA 6

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 2056 ⟷ COSMOS 1867 COOLANT: 3.46 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/20432-39674 (accessed 2026-10-21).