Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2255 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M090
MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2255NORAD 22690 · launched Jun 1993Military payload
5.34kmPredicted miss distance
GLOBGLOBALSTAR M090NORAD 38044 · launched Dec 2011Payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 7 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 5.32 km at 21 Oct 16:37 UTC.
Closest approach21 Oct 202616:37 UTC
Relative speed12.90 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,416 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed21 Oct16:30 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2255Track GLOBALSTAR M090All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2255 and GLOB GLOBALSTAR M090 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.34 km at 2026-10-21 16:37 UTC, at a relative speed of 12.90 km/s. Final forecast, made 7 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 5.32 km at 21 Oct 16:37 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 2255Payload
NORAD 22690
CountryCIS
Launched1993-06-24
OrbitLEO · 1,404 × 1,414 km
COSPAR1993-038D
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
GLOBALSTAR M090Payload
NORAD 38044
CountryGLOB
Launched2011-12-28
OrbitLEO · 1,413 × 1,414 km
COSPAR2011-080E
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1416 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1416 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 2255 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M090
2026-10-21 16:375.34 km Final forecast12.90 km/s1,416 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 16:49 UTC5.32 km Best estimate21 Oct 16:37 UTC21 Oct 14:59 UTCBest estimate
21 Oct 13:30 UTC5.34 km Forecast21 Oct 16:37 UTC21 Oct 08:10 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 09:46 UTC5.35 km Forecast21 Oct 16:37 UTC21 Oct 02:26 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 09:27 UTC5.45 km Forecast21 Oct 16:37 UTC20 Oct 21:49 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
4.18 km10-26 17:34 UTC
COSMOS 2255GLOBALSTAR M040
4.89 km10-27 07:07 UTC
COSMOS 2255OPS 7684
5.16 km10-20 09:55 UTC
COSMOS 2255DELTA 1 DEB

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 2255 ⟷ GLOBALSTAR M090: 5.34 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/22690-38044 (accessed 2026-10-26).