Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2142 ⟷ COSMOS 469
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2142NORAD 21230 · launched Apr 1991Military payload
2.56kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 469NORAD 5721 · launched Dec 1971Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
Closest approach25 Oct 202603:29 UTC
Relative speed12.95 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,006 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed25 Oct03:29 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2142Track COSMOS 469All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2142 and RU COSMOS 469 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.56 km at 2026-10-25 03:29 UTC, at a relative speed of 12.95 km/s. Final forecast, made minutes 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 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
COSMOS 2142Payload
NORAD 21230
CountryCIS
Launched1991-04-16
OrbitLEO · 960 × 1,015 km
COSPAR1991-029A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 469Payload
NORAD 5721
CountryCIS
Launched1971-12-25
OrbitLEO · 930 × 1,025 km
COSPAR1971-117A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1006 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1006 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 · COSMOS 2142 ⟷ COSMOS 469
2026-10-25 03:292.56 km Final forecast12.95 km/s1,006 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
24 Oct 12:29 UTC2.56 km Forecast25 Oct 03:29 UTC24 Oct 04:13 UTCRe-check
24 Oct 06:29 UTC2.59 km Forecast25 Oct 03:29 UTC23 Oct 19:48 UTCRe-check
24 Oct 06:09 UTC2.68 km Forecast25 Oct 03:29 UTC23 Oct 19:48 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
872 m10-23 14:22 UTC
COSMOS 2184COSMOS 469
2.68 km10-23 14:20 UTC
COSMOS 2142THORAD AGENA D DEB
4.32 km10-21 12:16 UTC
COSMOS 2142FENGYUN 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 →

Cite this encounter: Orbital Radar — “COSMOS 2142 ⟷ COSMOS 469: 2.56 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/21230-5721 (accessed 2026-10-26).