CNSHIYAN 2 (SY-2) and USNOAA 16 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 4.95 km at 2026-10-27 15:13 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.89 km/s. Final forecast, made 10 min 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.
At 665 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
4 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · SHIYAN 2 (SY-2) ⟷ NOAA 16 DEB
2026-10-27 18:306.32 km Live forecast14.89 km/s665 kmView →
2026-10-27 16:033.43 km Final forecast14.85 km/s681 kmView →
2026-10-27 15:134.95 km Final forecast14.89 km/s665 kmShown above
2026-10-27 13:356.61 km Final forecast14.89 km/s665 kmView →
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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
27 Oct 13:00 UTC4.95 km Forecast27 Oct 15:13 UTC27 Oct 06:16 UTCRe-check
27 Oct 09:06 UTC4.96 km Forecast27 Oct 15:13 UTC26 Oct 23:43 UTCRe-check
26 Oct 17:01 UTC4.91 km Forecast27 Oct 15:13 UTC26 Oct 07:21 UTCRe-check
26 Oct 16:41 UTC9.73 km Forecast27 Oct 15:13 UTC26 Oct 07:21 UTCScreen
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 — “SHIYAN 2 (SY-2) ⟷ NOAA 16 DEB: 4.95 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/28479-41132 (accessed 2026-10-27).
✓ Permanent record. This encounter met the notability thresholds and keeps an archived page after the pass.
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