Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2233 ⟷ SL-8 R/B
MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2233NORAD 22487 · launched Feb 1993Military payload
8.42kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaSL-8 R/BNORAD 23466 · launched Jan 1995Rocket body
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
Closest approach31 Oct 202616:00 UTC
Relative speed14.40 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,010 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed31 Oct15:56 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2233Track SL-8 R/BAll approaches
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RU COSMOS 2233 and RU SL-8 R/B were predicted to reach a closest approach of 8.42 km at 2026-10-31 16:00 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.40 km/s. Final forecast, made minutes 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 2233Payload
NORAD 22487
CountryCIS
Launched1993-02-09
OrbitLEO · 949 × 1,007 km
COSPAR1993-008A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
SL-8 R/BR/B
NORAD 23466
CountryCIS
Launched1995-01-24
OrbitLEO · 957 × 1,008 km
COSPAR1995-002D
Maneuver capableNo
Spent rocket stage: uncontrolled, tracked by the public catalogue.
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1010 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1010 km this pass sits inside the most congested band in low Earth orbit, home to the debris left by the 2007 ASAT test and the 2009 collision. 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 2233 ⟷ SL-8 R/B
2026-10-31 16:008.42 km Final forecast14.40 km/s1,010 kmShown above
2026-10-31 11:384.61 km Final forecast14.52 km/s952 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
31 Oct 11:56 UTC8.42 km Forecast31 Oct 16:00 UTC31 Oct 02:43 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.75 km10-29 19:21 UTC
COSMOS 2233SDA-NG-T1TL-403
4.05 km11-04 00:04 UTC
COSMOS 2233COSMOS 1934
4.67 km11-04 09:51 UTC
COSMOS 2233CENTISPACE-1 S8

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 →