Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2158 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M097
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2158NORAD 21729 · launched Sep 1991Military payload
4.39kmPredicted miss distance
GLOBGLOBALSTAR M097NORAD 39072 · launched Feb 2013Payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 17 min before the pass.
Closest approach21 Oct 202620:41 UTC
Relative speed4.01 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,409 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed21 Oct20:24 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2158Track GLOBALSTAR M097All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2158 and GLOB GLOBALSTAR M097 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 4.39 km at 2026-10-21 20:41 UTC, at a relative speed of 4.01 km/s. Final forecast, made 17 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 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 2158Payload
NORAD 21729
CountryCIS
Launched1991-09-28
OrbitLEO · 1,401 × 1,411 km
COSPAR1991-068B
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
GLOBALSTAR M097Payload
NORAD 39072
CountryGLOB
Launched2013-02-06
OrbitLEO · 1,413 × 1,414 km
COSPAR2013-005A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1409 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1409 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

2 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2158 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M097
2026-10-21 20:414.39 km Final forecast4.01 km/s1,409 kmShown above
2026-10-21 19:449.65 km Final forecast4.01 km/s1,413 kmView →

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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
21 Oct 13:30 UTC4.39 km Forecast21 Oct 20:41 UTC21 Oct 08:08 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 09:46 UTC4.41 km Forecast21 Oct 20:41 UTC21 Oct 01:39 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 09:27 UTC5.27 km Forecast21 Oct 20:41 UTC20 Oct 22:08 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.94 km10-18 15:44 UTC
COSMOS 2269GLOBALSTAR M097
4.89 km10-23 11:58 UTC
COSMOS 2158FENGYUN 1C DEB
5.10 km10-19 11:06 UTC
COSMOS 2095COSMOS 2158

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 2158 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M097: 4.39 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/21729-39072 (accessed 2026-10-22).