Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2093 ⟷ COSMOS 2168
medium · PROXIMITY
5.99 kmpredicted miss distance
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 19 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 5.98 km at 20 Oct 17:31 UTC.
Predicted closest approach
2026-10-20 17:31 UTC
Relative speed
9.83 km/s
Altitude
Last confirmed
20 Oct 17:12 UTC
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RU COSMOS 2093 and RU COSMOS 2168 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.99 km at 2026-10-20 17:31 UTC, at a relative speed of 9.83 km/s. Final forecast, made 19 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 5.98 km at 20 Oct 17:31 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
NORAD 20738
CountryCIS
Launched1990-08-08
COSPAR1990-070D
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 21782
CountryCIS
Launched1991-11-12
COSPAR1991-077D
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1416 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1416 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 2093 ⟷ COSMOS 2168
2026-10-20 17:315.99 km Final forecast9.83 km/s1,416 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
22 Oct 17:42 UTC5.98 km Best estimate20 Oct 17:31 UTC20 Oct 20:13 UTCBest estimate
20 Oct 12:32 UTC5.99 km Forecast20 Oct 17:31 UTC20 Oct 07:33 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 12:13 UTC6.54 km Forecast20 Oct 17:31 UTC19 Oct 19:23 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.53 km10-24 07:49 UTC
COSMOS 2168COSMOS 1913
3.68 km10-21 14:24 UTC
COSMOS 2168COSMOS 1876
3.87 km10-24 03:04 UTC
COSMOS 2168COSMOS 2200

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 2093 ⟷ COSMOS 2168: 5.99 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/20738-21782 (accessed 2026-10-26).