Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2142 ⟷ COSMOS 654
MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2142NORAD 21230 · launched Apr 1991Military payload
5.52kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 654NORAD 7297 · launched May 1974Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 5 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 5.47 km at 27 Oct 15:28 UTC.
Closest approach27 Oct 202615:28 UTC
Relative speed14.14 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude962 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed27 Oct15:23 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2142Track COSMOS 654All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2142 and RU COSMOS 654 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.52 km at 2026-10-27 15:28 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.14 km/s. Final forecast, made 5 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 5.47 km at 27 Oct 15:28 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
COSMOS 2142Payload
NORAD 21230
CountryCIS
Launched1991-04-16
OrbitLEO · 960 × 1,015 km
COSPAR1991-029A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 654Payload
NORAD 7297
CountryCIS
Launched1974-05-17
OrbitLEO · 909 × 1,022 km
COSPAR1974-032A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 962 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 962 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 654
2026-10-27 15:285.52 km Final forecast14.14 km/s962 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
31 Oct 08:02 UTC5.47 km Best estimate27 Oct 15:28 UTC27 Oct 22:18 UTCBest estimate
27 Oct 13:00 UTC5.52 km Forecast27 Oct 15:28 UTC27 Oct 06:45 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 10:45 UTC5.54 km Forecast27 Oct 15:28 UTC26 Oct 23:50 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 10:26 UTC6.73 km Forecast27 Oct 15:28 UTC26 Oct 23:50 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.54 km11-03 08:53 UTC
COSMOS 2142COSMOS 926 DEB
3.55 km11-02 10:56 UTC
COSMOS 2142HAIYANG 2A
3.81 km11-02 12:16 UTC
YAOGAN-50 02 DEBCOSMOS 654

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 654: 5.52 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/21230-7297 (accessed 2026-11-02).