Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2497 ⟷ SL-8 DEB
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2497NORAD 39762 · launched May 2014Military payload
3.48kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaSL-8 DEBNORAD 21155 · launched Feb 1991Debris
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 20 min before the pass.
Closest approach30 Oct 202608:51 UTC
Relative speed10.95 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,510 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed30 Oct08:31 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2497Track SL-8 DEBAll approaches
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RU COSMOS 2497 and RU SL-8 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.48 km at 2026-10-30 08:51 UTC, at a relative speed of 10.95 km/s. Final forecast, made 20 min before the pass. 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
COSMOS 2497Payload
NORAD 39762
CountryCIS
Launched2014-05-23
OrbitLEO · 1,477 × 1,511 km
COSPAR2014-028B
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
SL-8 DEBDebris
NORAD 21155
CountryCIS
Launched1991-02-12
OrbitLEO · 1,432 × 1,660 km
COSPAR1991-009S
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 · 1510 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1510 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 2497 ⟷ SL-8 DEB
2026-10-30 08:513.48 km Final forecast10.95 km/s1,510 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
29 Oct 21:31 UTC3.48 km Forecast30 Oct 08:51 UTC29 Oct 06:23 UTCRe-check
29 Oct 09:12 UTC3.35 km Forecast30 Oct 08:51 UTC28 Oct 14:55 UTCRe-check
29 Oct 08:55 UTC4.92 km Forecast30 Oct 08:51 UTC28 Oct 14:55 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.32 km10-31 08:20 UTC
COSMOS 2497COSMOS 1480
4.76 km10-27 14:25 UTC
COSMOS 2497COSMOS 1199
4.88 km10-26 04:04 UTC
COSMOS 2497SL-14 R/B

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 2497 ⟷ SL-8 DEB: 3.48 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/21155-39762 (accessed 2026-10-31).