Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2070 ⟷ THORAD DELTA 1 DEB
HighCross-border
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 18 min before the pass.
Closest approach25 Oct 202609:09 UTC
Relative speed13.29 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,438 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed25 Oct08:51 UTC · final forecast

RU COSMOS 2070 and US THORAD DELTA 1 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 6.07 km at 2026-10-25 09:09 UTC, at a relative speed of 13.29 km/s. Final forecast, made 18 min before the pass. This is a cross-border encounter between objects of different nations, the kind of event closely watched for space-security implications. 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
NORAD 20555
CountryCIS
Launched1990-04-06
COSPAR1990-029G
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 8137
CountryUS
Launched1974-11-15
COSPAR1974-089F
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1438 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1438 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 2070 ⟷ THORAD DELTA 1 DEB
2026-10-25 09:096.07 km Final forecast13.29 km/s1,438 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
25 Oct 08:51 UTC6.07 km Forecast25 Oct 09:09 UTC24 Oct 04:05 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.57 km10-24 01:54 UTC
COSMOS 2070COSMOS 1528
4.97 km10-22 02:54 UTC
COSMOS 2070BREEZE-KM R/B
5.79 km10-19 20:58 UTC
COSMOS 2070DELTA 1 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 2070 ⟷ THORAD DELTA 1 DEB: 6.07 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/20555-8137 (accessed 2026-10-26).