Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2246 ⟷ COSMOS 2247
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2246NORAD 22647 · launched May 1993Military payload
2.13kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 2247NORAD 22648 · launched May 1993Military payload
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 23 Oct 14:50 UTC.
Closest approach24 Oct 202609:17 UTC
Drift speed101 m/s365 km/h, seen from COSMOS 2247
Altitude1,401 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live
Track COSMOS 2246Track COSMOS 2247All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2246 and RU COSMOS 2247 are predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.13 km at 2026-10-24 09:17 UTC, drifting past at about 101 m/s (365 km/h) as seen from COSMOS 2247. Confirmed by the latest screening, 23 Oct 14:50 UTC. 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 2246Payload
NORAD 22647
CountryCIS
Launched1993-05-11
OrbitLEO · 1,400 × 1,416 km
COSPAR1993-030B
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 2247Payload
NORAD 22648
CountryCIS
Launched1993-05-11
OrbitLEO · 1,403 × 1,416 km
COSPAR1993-030C
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1401 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1401 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 2246 ⟷ COSMOS 2247
2026-10-24 09:172.13 km Live forecast0.10 km/s1,401 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
23 Oct 10:16 UTC2.13 km Forecast24 Oct 09:17 UTC22 Oct 22:58 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 09:36 UTC2.06 km Forecast24 Oct 09:17 UTC22 Oct 14:00 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 09:16 UTC5.76 km Forecast24 Oct 09:16 UTC22 Oct 14:00 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.24 km10-17 23:01 UTC
COSMOS 2246BREEZE-KM DEB
3.76 km10-21 21:20 UTC
COSMOS 2247COSMOS 1234
6.52 km10-21 18:22 UTC
COSMOS 2246GLOBALSTAR M037

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 2246 ⟷ COSMOS 2247: 2.13 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/22647-22648 (accessed 2026-10-23).