Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›DMSP 5D-2 F14 (USA 131) ⟷ CZ-6A DEB
CriticalCross-border
On permanent record
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
Closest approach8 Nov 202610:38 UTC
Relative speed2.62 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude848 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed8 Nov10:37 UTC · final forecast

US DMSP 5D-2 F14 (USA 131) and CN CZ-6A DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 648 m at 2026-11-08 10:38 UTC, at a relative speed of 2.62 km/s. Final forecast, made minutes before the pass. 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
NORAD 24753
CountryUS
Launched1997-04-04
COSPAR1997-012A
Maneuver capableUnknown
CZ-6A DEBDebris
NORAD 54473
CountryPRC
Launched2022-11-11
COSPAR2022-151GZ
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 848 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 848 km this pass sits inside the most congested band in low Earth orbit, home to the debris left by the 2007 ASAT test and the 2009 collision. 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 · DMSP 5D-2 F14 (USA 131) ⟷ CZ-6A DEB
2026-11-08 10:38648 m Final forecast2.62 km/s848 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
8 Nov 08:01 UTC648 m Forecast8 Nov 10:38 UTC7 Nov 23:11 UTCRe-check
7 Nov 12:51 UTC755 m Forecast8 Nov 10:38 UTC7 Nov 06:14 UTCRe-check
7 Nov 12:06 UTC732 m Forecast8 Nov 10:38 UTC6 Nov 21:49 UTCRe-check
7 Nov 11:46 UTC1.99 km Forecast8 Nov 10:38 UTC6 Nov 21:49 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.04 km11-03 11:58 UTC
DMSP 5D-2 F14 (USA 131)METEOR 1-20
1.26 km11-04 03:13 UTC
DMSP 5D-2 F14 (USA 131)OBJECT A
1.93 km11-06 18:48 UTC
DMSP 5D-2 F14 (USA 131)DMSP 5D-2 F13 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 →

✓ Permanent record. This encounter met the notability thresholds and keeps an archived page after the pass.