Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›SJ-7 ⟷ STRIX-3
HighProximity
ChinaSJ-7NORAD 28737 · launched Jul 2005Military payload
4.08kmPredicted miss distance
JapanSTRIX-3NORAD 59224 · launched Mar 2024Payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 13 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 4.43 km at 23 Oct 13:02 UTC.
Closest approach23 Oct 202613:02 UTC
Relative speed7.06 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude497 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed23 Oct12:49 UTC · final forecast
Track SJ-7Track STRIX-3All approaches
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CN SJ-7 and JP STRIX-3 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 4.08 km at 2026-10-23 13:02 UTC, at a relative speed of 7.06 km/s. Final forecast, made 13 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 4.43 km at 23 Oct 13:02 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
SJ-7Payload
NORAD 28737
CountryPRC
Launched2005-07-05
OrbitLEO · 487 × 505 km
COSPAR2005-024A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
STRIX-3Payload
NORAD 59224
CountryJPN
Launched2024-03-12
OrbitLEO · 494 × 511 km
COSPAR2024-047A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 497 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 497 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 · SJ-7 ⟷ STRIX-3
2026-10-23 13:024.08 km Final forecast7.06 km/s497 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
25 Oct 22:43 UTC4.43 km Best estimate23 Oct 13:02 UTC24 Oct 01:14 UTCBest estimate
23 Oct 10:16 UTC4.08 km Forecast23 Oct 13:02 UTC23 Oct 04:45 UTCRe-check
22 Oct 22:16 UTC4.52 km Forecast23 Oct 13:02 UTC22 Oct 16:08 UTCRe-check
22 Oct 21:42 UTC6.20 km Forecast23 Oct 13:02 UTC22 Oct 06:39 UTCRe-check
22 Oct 21:24 UTC6.47 km Forecast23 Oct 13:02 UTC22 Oct 06:39 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.71 km10-23 20:52 UTC
SJ-7CONNECTA IOT-10
4.49 km10-23 16:09 UTC
SJ-7NUSAT-47 (BEA. TINSLEY)
4.98 km10-27 07:46 UTC
SJ-7STARLINK-35858

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 — “SJ-7 ⟷ STRIX-3: 4.08 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/28737-59224 (accessed 2026-10-28).