Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›FIRESAT2 ⟷ SL-14 R/B
high · CROSS-BORDER
9.76 kmpredicted miss distance
Not re-confirmedLast confirmed 22 h before the pass. Later screening did not re-confirm it.
Predicted closest approach
2026-10-19 07:40 UTC
Relative speed
15.06 km/s
Altitude
Last confirmed
18 Oct 09:21 UTC
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US FIRESAT2 and RU SL-14 R/B were predicted to reach a closest approach of 9.76 km at 2026-10-19 07:40 UTC, at a relative speed of 15.06 km/s. Screening last confirmed this pass 22 h before it was due and did not re-confirm it after that, so the figure may have been overtaken by newer orbital data, for example after a maneuver. This is a cross-border encounter between objects of different nations, the kind of event closely watched for space-security implications. 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
FIRESAT2Payload
NORAD 69873
CountryUS
Launched2026-07-07
COSPAR2026-156E
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 23659
CountryCIS
Launched1995-08-31
COSPAR1995-046C
Maneuver capableNo
Spent rocket stage: uncontrolled, tracked by the public catalogue.

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 619 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 619 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

2 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · FIRESAT2 ⟷ SL-14 R/B
2026-10-22 10:063.09 km Live forecast15.09 km/s617 kmView →
2026-10-19 07:409.76 km Not re-confirmed15.06 km/s619 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.

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
5.54 km10-21 19:42 UTC
FIRESAT2CZ-6A DEB
5.67 km10-16 07:00 UTC
FIRESAT2NOAA 16 DEB
5.68 km10-16 01:01 UTC
FIRESAT2FENGYUN 1C 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 — “FIRESAT2 ⟷ SL-14 R/B: 9.76 km forecast, not re-confirmed”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/23659-69873 (accessed 2026-10-21).