Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2438 ⟷ SL-8 DEB
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2438NORAD 32955 · launched May 2008Military payload
3.94kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaSL-8 DEBNORAD 22841 · launched Feb 1991Debris
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 9 min before the pass.
Closest approach10 Nov 202620:55 UTC
Relative speed1.97 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,489 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed10 Nov20:46 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2438Track SL-8 DEBAll approaches
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RU COSMOS 2438 and RU SL-8 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.94 km at 2026-11-10 20:55 UTC, at a relative speed of 1.97 km/s. Final forecast, made 9 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 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 2438Payload
NORAD 32955
CountryCIS
Launched2008-05-23
OrbitLEO · 1,476 × 1,509 km
COSPAR2008-025C
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
SL-8 DEBDebris
NORAD 22841
CountryCIS
Launched1991-02-12
OrbitLEO · 1,476 × 1,683 km
COSPAR1991-009CL
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1489 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1489 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 2438 ⟷ SL-8 DEB
2026-11-10 20:553.94 km Final forecast1.97 km/s1,489 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
10 Nov 14:28 UTC3.94 km Forecast10 Nov 20:55 UTC10 Nov 05:47 UTCRe-check
10 Nov 09:32 UTC4.07 km Forecast10 Nov 20:55 UTC9 Nov 22:03 UTCRe-check
9 Nov 21:51 UTC3.93 km Forecast10 Nov 20:55 UTC9 Nov 14:29 UTCRe-check
9 Nov 21:33 UTC3.76 km Forecast10 Nov 20:55 UTC9 Nov 06:36 UTCRe-check
9 Nov 21:14 UTC4.09 km Forecast10 Nov 20:55 UTC9 Nov 06:36 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.87 km11-09 12:52 UTC
COSMOS 2438SL-14 DEB
4.15 km11-09 08:55 UTC
COSMOS 2438COSMOS 588
4.71 km11-06 17:12 UTC
COSMOS 2438COSMOS 825

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 →