Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2506 ⟷ COSMOS 1275 DEB
CriticalProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2506NORAD 40699 · launched Jun 2015Military payload
385mPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 1275 DEBNORAD 20505 · launched Jun 1981Military debris
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
Closest approach21 Oct 202615:11 UTC
Relative speed15.00 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude700 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed21 Oct15:10 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2506Track COSMOS 1275 DEBAll approaches
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RU COSMOS 2506 and RU COSMOS 1275 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 385 m at 2026-10-21 15:11 UTC, at a relative speed of 15.00 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 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 2506Payload
NORAD 40699
CountryCIS
Launched2015-06-23
OrbitLEO · 705 × 717 km
COSPAR2015-029A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 1275 DEBDebris
NORAD 20505
CountryCIS
Launched1981-06-04
OrbitLEO · 689 × 708 km
COSPAR1981-053MM
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 · 700 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 700 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 2506 ⟷ COSMOS 1275 DEB
2026-10-21 15:11385 m Final forecast15.00 km/s700 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 UTC385 m Forecast21 Oct 15:11 UTC21 Oct 08:16 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 09:46 UTC393 m Forecast21 Oct 15:11 UTC21 Oct 04:58 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 03:52 UTC394 m Forecast21 Oct 15:11 UTC20 Oct 22:21 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 15:52 UTC379 m Forecast21 Oct 15:11 UTC20 Oct 07:30 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 15:33 UTC6.86 km Forecast21 Oct 15:11 UTC20 Oct 07:30 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.39 km10-22 20:06 UTC
COSMOS 2506NOAA 16 DEB
2.01 km10-15 18:09 UTC
COSMOS 2506FENGYUN 1C DEB
5.23 km10-16 08:09 UTC
COSMOS 2506ASO-S

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 2506 ⟷ COSMOS 1275 DEB: 385 m predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/20505-40699 (accessed 2026-10-22).