Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›SJ-9A ⟷ SAUDISAT 4
HighProximity
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 2 Nov 18:16 UTC.
Closest approach2 Nov 202619:35 UTC
Relative speed14.98 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude604 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live

CN SJ-9A and SAUD SAUDISAT 4 are predicted to reach a closest approach of 1.70 km at 2026-11-02 19:35 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.98 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 2 Nov 18:16 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-9APayload
NORAD 38860
CountryPRC
Launched2012-10-14
COSPAR2012-056A
Maneuver capableUnknown
SAUDISAT 4Payload
NORAD 40016
CountrySAUD
Launched2014-06-19
COSPAR2014-033G
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 604 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 604 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-9A ⟷ SAUDISAT 4
2026-11-02 19:351.70 km Live forecast14.98 km/s604 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
2 Nov 09:14 UTC1.70 km Forecast2 Nov 19:35 UTC2 Nov 04:09 UTCRe-check
2 Nov 03:27 UTC1.64 km Forecast2 Nov 19:35 UTC1 Nov 11:59 UTCRe-check
1 Nov 21:27 UTC1.65 km Forecast2 Nov 19:35 UTC1 Nov 05:31 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.81 km10-27 17:06 UTC
SJ-9AKUIPER-00046
1.95 km10-29 04:35 UTC
SJ-9AKUIPER-00101
1.99 km11-02 21:53 UTC
SJ-9AKUIPER-00252

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-9A ⟷ SAUDISAT 4: 1.70 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/38860-40016 (accessed 2026-11-02).