Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2246 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M037
MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2246NORAD 22647 · launched May 1993Military payload
6.52kmPredicted miss distance
GLOBGLOBALSTAR M037NORAD 25652 · launched Mar 1999Payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 12 min before the pass.
Closest approach21 Oct 202618:22 UTC
Relative speed10.97 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,402 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed21 Oct18:10 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2246Track GLOBALSTAR M037All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2246 and GLOB GLOBALSTAR M037 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 6.52 km at 2026-10-21 18:22 UTC, at a relative speed of 10.97 km/s. Final forecast, made 12 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 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 →
GLOBALSTAR M037Payload
NORAD 25652
CountryGLOB
Launched1999-03-15
OrbitLEO · 1,411 × 1,414 km
COSPAR1999-012D
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1402 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1402 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 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M037
2026-10-21 18:226.52 km Final forecast10.97 km/s1,402 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
21 Oct 13:30 UTC6.52 km Forecast21 Oct 18:22 UTC21 Oct 07:18 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 09:46 UTC6.49 km Forecast21 Oct 18:22 UTC21 Oct 02:54 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 03:52 UTC6.50 km Forecast21 Oct 18:22 UTC20 Oct 21:12 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 18:32 UTC6.60 km Forecast21 Oct 18:22 UTC20 Oct 02:12 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.13 km10-24 09:17 UTC
COSMOS 2246COSMOS 2247
3.24 km10-17 23:01 UTC
COSMOS 2246BREEZE-KM DEB
4.26 km10-20 16:43 UTC
COSMOS 2301GLOBALSTAR 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 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M037: 6.52 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/22647-25652 (accessed 2026-10-23).