Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›SHIYAN 3 (SY-3) ⟷ CZ-6A R/B
HighProximity
ChinaSHIYAN 3 (SY-3)NORAD 33433 · launched Nov 2008Military payload
3.12kmPredicted miss distance
ChinaCZ-6A R/BNORAD 57831 · launched Sep 2023Rocket body
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 16 min before the pass.
Closest approach21 Oct 202609:43 UTC
Relative speed13.44 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude804 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed21 Oct09:27 UTC · final forecast
Track SHIYAN 3 (SY-3)Track CZ-6A R/BAll approaches
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CN SHIYAN 3 (SY-3) and CN CZ-6A R/B were predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.12 km at 2026-10-21 09:43 UTC, at a relative speed of 13.44 km/s. Final forecast, made 16 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
SHIYAN 3 (SY-3)Payload
NORAD 33433
CountryPRC
Launched2008-11-05
OrbitLEO · 778 × 799 km
COSPAR2008-056A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
CZ-6A R/BR/B
NORAD 57831
CountryPRC
Launched2023-09-10
OrbitLEO · 791 × 807 km
COSPAR2023-139B
Maneuver capableNo
Spent rocket stage: uncontrolled, tracked by the public catalogue.
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 804 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 804 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 · SHIYAN 3 (SY-3) ⟷ CZ-6A R/B
2026-10-21 09:433.12 km Final forecast13.44 km/s804 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
21 Oct 03:52 UTC3.12 km Forecast21 Oct 09:43 UTC20 Oct 19:03 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 12:32 UTC3.11 km Forecast21 Oct 09:43 UTC20 Oct 03:54 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 12:13 UTC3.11 km Forecast21 Oct 09:43 UTC19 Oct 22:52 UTCRe-check

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
4.11 km10-17 20:57 UTC
SHIYAN 3 (SY-3)EYESAT A
4.47 km10-17 05:52 UTC
SHIYAN 3 (SY-3)SHIYAN 4 (SY-4)
4.59 km10-19 17:29 UTC
SHIYAN 3 (SY-3)CZ-4 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 — “SHIYAN 3 (SY-3) ⟷ CZ-6A R/B: 3.12 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/33433-57831 (accessed 2026-10-22).