Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2170 ⟷ COSMOS 2491 DEB
CriticalProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2170NORAD 21784 · launched Nov 1991Military payload
633mPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 2491 DEBNORAD 47111 · launched Dec 2013Military debris
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 8 min before the pass.
Closest approach5 Nov 202605:39 UTC
Relative speed12.84 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,420 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed5 Nov05:31 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2170Track COSMOS 2491 DEBAll approaches
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RU COSMOS 2170 and RU COSMOS 2491 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 633 m at 2026-11-05 05:39 UTC, at a relative speed of 12.84 km/s. Final forecast, made 8 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 mattersOne side of this pass cannot maneuver, so any avoidance decision rests with the other operator. Screening continues as new element sets arrive.

The Two Objects

Dossiers from the satellite directory
COSMOS 2170Payload
NORAD 21784
CountryCIS
Launched1991-11-12
OrbitLEO · 1,410 × 1,414 km
COSPAR1991-077F
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 2491 DEBDebris
NORAD 47111
CountryCIS
Launched2013-12-25
OrbitLEO · 1,328 × 1,519 km
COSPAR2013-076AG
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1420 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1420 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 2170 ⟷ COSMOS 2491 DEB
2026-11-05 05:39633 m Final forecast12.84 km/s1,420 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
4 Nov 09:52 UTC633 m Forecast5 Nov 05:39 UTC4 Nov 04:13 UTCRe-check
4 Nov 09:33 UTC5.82 km Forecast5 Nov 05:39 UTC4 Nov 04:13 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.50 km11-04 13:35 UTC
COSMOS 2170COSMOS 2270
2.79 km11-01 18:04 UTC
COSMOS 2170COSMOS 2301
4.24 km11-03 23:29 UTC
COSMOS 2170DELTA 1 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 →