Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2481 ⟷ COSMOS 2491
MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2481NORAD 38733 · launched Jul 2012Military payload
6.83kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 2491NORAD 39497 · launched Dec 2013Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 17 min before the pass.
Closest approach4 Nov 202602:41 UTC
Relative speed10.25 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,477 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed4 Nov02:24 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2481Track COSMOS 2491All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2481 and RU COSMOS 2491 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 6.83 km at 2026-11-04 02:41 UTC, at a relative speed of 10.25 km/s. Final forecast, made 17 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 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
COSMOS 2481Payload
NORAD 38733
CountryCIS
Launched2012-07-28
OrbitLEO · 1,481 × 1,512 km
COSPAR2012-041A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 2491Payload
NORAD 39497
CountryCIS
Launched2013-12-25
OrbitLEO · 1,481 × 1,503 km
COSPAR2013-076E
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1477 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1477 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 · COSMOS 2481 ⟷ COSMOS 2491
2026-11-04 02:416.83 km Final forecast10.25 km/s1,477 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
3 Nov 20:29 UTC6.83 km Forecast4 Nov 02:41 UTC3 Nov 14:39 UTCRe-check
3 Nov 09:32 UTC7.00 km Forecast4 Nov 02:41 UTC2 Nov 21:17 UTCRe-check
3 Nov 09:13 UTC7.07 km Forecast4 Nov 02:41 UTC2 Nov 21:17 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.56 km11-01 22:24 UTC
COSMOS 2409COSMOS 2481
5.06 km11-04 12:18 UTC
COSMOS 2491COSMOS 1198
5.96 km11-02 14:50 UTC
COSMOS 2481SL-8 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 →