Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›USA 56 ⟷ KUIPER-00605
HighProximity
United StatesUSA 56NORAD 20560 · launched Apr 1990Military payload
2.25kmPredicted miss distance
United StatesKUIPER-00605NORAD 69288 · launched May 2026Payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 19 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 2.25 km at 28 Oct 12:34 UTC.
Closest approach28 Oct 202612:34 UTC
Relative speed10.29 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude636 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed28 Oct12:15 UTC · final forecast
Track USA 56Track KUIPER-00605All approaches
Share

US USA 56 and US KUIPER-00605 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.25 km at 2026-10-28 12:34 UTC, at a relative speed of 10.29 km/s. Final forecast, made 19 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 2.25 km at 28 Oct 12:34 UTC. 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
USA 56Payload
NORAD 20560
CountryUS
Launched1990-04-11
OrbitLEO · 592 × 680 km
COSPAR1990-031A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
KUIPER-00605Payload
NORAD 69288
CountryUS
Launched2026-05-29
OrbitLEO · 629 × 630 km
COSPAR2026-118X
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 636 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 636 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 · USA 56 ⟷ KUIPER-00605
2026-10-28 12:342.25 km Final forecast10.29 km/s636 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
1 Nov 10:36 UTC2.25 km Best estimate28 Oct 12:34 UTC28 Oct 08:14 UTCBest estimate
28 Oct 11:39 UTC2.25 km Forecast28 Oct 12:34 UTC28 Oct 08:14 UTCRe-check
28 Oct 07:43 UTC2.26 km Forecast28 Oct 12:34 UTC28 Oct 03:58 UTCRe-check
28 Oct 01:43 UTC2.25 km Forecast28 Oct 12:34 UTC27 Oct 22:20 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 19:43 UTC2.17 km Forecast28 Oct 12:34 UTC27 Oct 13:45 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 13:00 UTC2.19 km Forecast28 Oct 12:34 UTC27 Oct 08:13 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 12:42 UTC5.13 km Forecast28 Oct 12:34 UTC27 Oct 03:59 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.38 km11-04 03:08 UTC
USA 56CZ-6A DEB
4.54 km11-04 04:38 UTC
USA 56KUIPER-00099
5.08 km10-30 03:47 UTC
USA 56BIOMASS

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 →