Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2242 ⟷ CZ-4B DEB
HighCross-border
On permanent record
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 11 Nov 15:58 UTC.
Closest approach11 Nov 202616:13 UTC
Relative speed12.74 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude580 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed11 Nov15:58 UTC · live forecast

RU COSMOS 2242 and CN CZ-4B DEB are predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.61 km at 2026-11-11 16:13 UTC, at a relative speed of 12.74 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 11 Nov 15:58 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 22626
CountryCIS
Launched1993-04-16
COSPAR1993-024A
Maneuver capableUnknown
CZ-4B DEBDebris
NORAD 29536
CountryPRC
Launched2006-04-26
COSPAR2006-015C
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 · 580 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 580 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

4 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2242 ⟷ CZ-4B DEB
2026-11-11 19:269.68 km Live forecast12.72 km/s580 kmView →
2026-11-11 16:133.61 km Final forecast12.74 km/s580 kmShown above
2026-11-10 12:099.53 km Final forecast12.91 km/s573 kmView →
2026-11-10 10:338.06 km Final forecast12.92 km/s573 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
11 Nov 11:57 UTC3.61 km Forecast11 Nov 16:13 UTC11 Nov 03:46 UTCRe-check
11 Nov 11:37 UTC4.63 km Forecast11 Nov 16:13 UTC11 Nov 03:46 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.40 km11-05 17:22 UTC
COSMOS 2242STARLINK-5835
1.42 km11-09 20:56 UTC
COSMOS 2242CZ-2C DEB
1.68 km11-06 10:17 UTC
COSMOS 2242LEMUR-2-ELEONORE

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 →

✓ Permanent record. This encounter met the notability thresholds and keeps an archived page after the pass.