Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2168 ⟷ ISIS 2
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2168NORAD 21782 · launched Nov 1991Military payload
2.65kmPredicted miss distance
CanadaISIS 2NORAD 5104 · launched Apr 1971Payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 7 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 2.58 km at 28 Oct 01:10 UTC.
Closest approach28 Oct 202601:10 UTC
Relative speed14.20 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,386 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed28 Oct01:03 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2168Track ISIS 2All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2168 and CA ISIS 2 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.65 km at 2026-10-28 01:10 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.20 km/s. Final forecast, made 7 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 2.58 km at 28 Oct 01:10 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 2168Payload
NORAD 21782
CountryCIS
Launched1991-11-12
OrbitLEO · 1,389 × 1,411 km
COSPAR1991-077D
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
ISIS 2Payload
NORAD 5104
CountryCA
Launched1971-04-01
OrbitLEO · 1,356 × 1,425 km
COSPAR1971-024A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1386 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1386 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 2168 ⟷ ISIS 2
2026-10-28 01:102.65 km Final forecast14.20 km/s1,386 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 20:16 UTC2.58 km Best estimate28 Oct 01:10 UTC28 Oct 01:24 UTCBest estimate
27 Oct 13:00 UTC2.65 km Forecast28 Oct 01:10 UTC27 Oct 06:00 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 10:26 UTC2.70 km Forecast28 Oct 01:10 UTC26 Oct 22:41 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.14 km10-28 20:59 UTC
COSMOS 2168COSMOS 1232
3.54 km10-29 00:24 UTC
COSMOS 2168COSMOS 1619
5.72 km11-02 13:39 UTC
COSMOS 2041ISIS 2

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 2168 ⟷ ISIS 2: 2.65 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/21782-5104 (accessed 2026-11-02).