Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2169 ⟷ COSMOS 2272
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2169NORAD 21783 · launched Nov 1991Military payload
1.11kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 2272NORAD 23003 · launched Feb 1994Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 9 min before the pass.
Closest approach30 Oct 202601:20 UTC
Relative speed9.37 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,408 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed30 Oct01:11 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2169Track COSMOS 2272All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2169 and RU COSMOS 2272 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 1.11 km at 2026-10-30 01:20 UTC, at a relative speed of 9.37 km/s. Final forecast, made 9 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 2169Payload
NORAD 21783
CountryCIS
Launched1991-11-12
OrbitLEO · 1,383 × 1,411 km
COSPAR1991-077E
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 2272Payload
NORAD 23003
CountryCIS
Launched1994-02-12
OrbitLEO · 1,396 × 1,413 km
COSPAR1994-011E
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1408 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1408 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 2169 ⟷ COSMOS 2272
2026-10-30 01:201.11 km Final forecast9.37 km/s1,408 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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 UTC1.11 km Forecast30 Oct 01:20 UTC29 Oct 04:55 UTCRe-check
29 Oct 09:31 UTC1.10 km Forecast30 Oct 01:20 UTC28 Oct 11:52 UTCRe-check
29 Oct 09:12 UTC1.43 km Forecast30 Oct 01:20 UTC28 Oct 11:52 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.34 km10-26 05:20 UTC
COSMOS 2169COSMOS 1913
1.43 km11-01 19:23 UTC
COSMOS 2169GLOBALSTAR M094
2.01 km10-26 08:11 UTC
COSMOS 2169COSMOS 1830

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 2169 ⟷ COSMOS 2272: 1.11 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/21783-23003 (accessed 2026-11-02).