Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2189 ⟷ THORAD DELTA 1 DEB
HighCross-border
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 15 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 5.60 km at 6 Nov 21:09 UTC.
Closest approach6 Nov 202621:09 UTC
Relative speed4.35 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,479 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed6 Nov20:54 UTC · final forecast

RU COSMOS 2189 and US THORAD DELTA 1 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.48 km at 2026-11-06 21:09 UTC, at a relative speed of 4.35 km/s. Final forecast, made 15 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 5.60 km at 6 Nov 21:09 UTC. This is a cross-border encounter between objects of different nations. 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
NORAD 21978
CountryCIS
Launched1992-06-03
COSPAR1992-030C
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 8166
CountryUS
Launched1974-11-15
COSPAR1974-089AG
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1479 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1479 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 2189 ⟷ THORAD DELTA 1 DEB
2026-11-06 21:095.48 km Final forecast · after: 5.60 km4.35 km/s1,479 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
10 Nov 19:26 UTC5.60 km Best estimate6 Nov 21:09 UTC7 Nov 05:22 UTCBest estimate
6 Nov 10:00 UTC5.48 km Forecast6 Nov 21:09 UTC5 Nov 22:30 UTCRe-check
6 Nov 09:41 UTC6.84 km Forecast6 Nov 21:09 UTC5 Nov 22:30 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.01 km11-07 17:52 UTC
COSMOS 2189COSMOS 978
3.87 km11-06 21:39 UTC
COSMOS 2215THORAD DELTA 1 DEB
4.22 km11-10 21:21 UTC
COSMOS 2127COSMOS 2189

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 →