Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›USA 57 ⟷ THORAD AGENA D DEB
HighProximity
United StatesUSA 57NORAD 20561 · launched Apr 1990Military payload
1.34kmPredicted miss distance
United StatesTHORAD AGENA D DEBNORAD 4173 · launched Sep 1969Debris
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 7 Nov 21:22 UTC.
Closest approach8 Nov 202604:21 UTC
Relative speed11.85 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude617 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live
Track USA 57Track THORAD AGENA D DEBAll approaches
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US USA 57 and US THORAD AGENA D DEB are predicted to reach a closest approach of 1.34 km at 2026-11-08 04:21 UTC, at a relative speed of 11.85 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 7 Nov 21:22 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 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
USA 57Payload
NORAD 20561
CountryUS
Launched1990-04-11
OrbitLEO · 606 × 695 km
COSPAR1990-031B
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
THORAD AGENA D DEBDebris
NORAD 4173
CountryUS
Launched1969-09-30
OrbitLEO · 598 × 625 km
COSPAR1969-082AR
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 · 617 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 617 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 57 ⟷ THORAD AGENA D DEB
2026-11-08 04:211.34 km Live forecast11.85 km/s617 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
7 Nov 12:51 UTC1.34 km Forecast8 Nov 04:21 UTC7 Nov 04:13 UTCRe-check
7 Nov 09:57 UTC1.76 km Forecast8 Nov 04:21 UTC6 Nov 15:10 UTCRe-check
7 Nov 09:37 UTC8.56 km Forecast8 Nov 04:21 UTC6 Nov 15:10 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.05 km11-05 15:01 UTC
USA 57COSMOS 2251 DEB
1.55 km11-07 08:48 UTC
USA 57YAOGAN 4
2.45 km11-08 06:31 UTC
USA 57COSMOS 2251 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 →