Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›DMSP 5D-2 F10 (USA 68) ⟷ ORBCOMM FM 33
HighProximity
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 3 Nov 12:08 UTC.
Closest approach4 Nov 202602:45 UTC
Relative speed12.08 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude764 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live

US DMSP 5D-2 F10 (USA 68) and ORB ORBCOMM FM 33 are predicted to reach a closest approach of 4.68 km at 2026-11-04 02:45 UTC, at a relative speed of 12.08 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 3 Nov 12:08 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 20978
CountryUS
Launched1990-12-01
COSPAR1990-105A
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 25983
CountryORB
Launched1999-12-04
COSPAR1999-065D
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 764 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 764 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 · DMSP 5D-2 F10 (USA 68) ⟷ ORBCOMM FM 33
2026-11-04 02:454.68 km Live forecast12.08 km/s764 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
3 Nov 11:27 UTC4.68 km Forecast4 Nov 02:45 UTC2 Nov 19:17 UTCRe-check
3 Nov 11:07 UTC8.42 km Forecast4 Nov 02:45 UTC2 Nov 19:17 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.12 km10-29 17:37 UTC
DMSP 5D-2 F10 (USA 68)COSMOS 2251 DEB
3.51 km11-03 14:59 UTC
DMSP 5D-2 F10 (USA 68)COSMOS 2251 DEB
4.92 km10-27 15:20 UTC
DMSP 5D-2 F10 (USA 68)FENGYUN 1C 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 →