Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›SBSS (USA 216) ⟷ ELECTRON KICK STAGE R/B
HighProximity
United StatesSBSS (USA 216)NORAD 37168 · launched Sep 2010Military payload
2.90kmPredicted miss distance
United StatesELECTRON KICK STAGE R/BNORAD 58579 · launched Dec 2023Rocket body
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 20 min before the pass.
Closest approach11 Nov 202619:57 UTC
Relative speed11.15 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude504 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed11 Nov19:37 UTC · final forecast
Track SBSS (USA 216)Track ELECTRON KICK STAGE R/BAll approaches
Share

US SBSS (USA 216) and US ELECTRON KICK STAGE R/B were predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.90 km at 2026-11-11 19:57 UTC, at a relative speed of 11.15 km/s. Final forecast, made 20 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
SBSS (USA 216)Payload
NORAD 37168
CountryUS
Launched2010-09-26
OrbitLEO · 458 × 569 km
COSPAR2010-048A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
ELECTRON KICK STAGE R/BR/B
NORAD 58579
CountryUS
Launched2023-12-15
OrbitLEO · 507 × 533 km
COSPAR2023-196B
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 · 504 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 504 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 · SBSS (USA 216) ⟷ ELECTRON KICK STAGE R/B
2026-11-11 19:572.90 km Final forecast11.15 km/s504 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
11 Nov 10:26 UTC2.90 km Forecast11 Nov 19:57 UTC11 Nov 05:17 UTCRe-check
10 Nov 22:26 UTC7.54 km Forecast11 Nov 19:57 UTC10 Nov 07:09 UTCRe-check
10 Nov 22:07 UTC7.93 km Forecast11 Nov 19:57 UTC10 Nov 07:09 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.45 km11-05 08:18 UTC
SBSS (USA 216)YAOGAN-43 02D
1.76 km11-09 22:00 UTC
RADIX-MELECTRON KICK STAGE R/B
3.32 km11-11 00:55 UTC
RADIX-AELECTRON KICK STAGE R/B

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 →