HomeManeuver TrackerClose ApproachesYAOGAN 17C ⟷ CZ-4C DEB
high · PROXIMITY
4.10 kmmiss distance
Closest approach (TCA)
2026-09-19 13:04 UTC
Relative speed
1.70 km/s
Altitude
Current separation
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On 2026-09-19 13:04 UTC, CN YAOGAN 17C and CN CZ-4C DEB reached a closest approach (TCA) of 4.10 km, with a relative velocity of 1.70 km/s. Miss distance and time of closest approach are computed by propagating the latest published orbital elements for both objects, and values update 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
YAOGAN 17CPayload
NORAD 39241
CountryPRC
Launched2013-09-01
COSPAR2013-046C
Maneuver capableUnknown
CZ-4C DEBDebris
NORAD 43281
CountryPRC
Launched2018-04-10
COSPAR2018-034G
Maneuver capableNo
Uncontrolled debris fragment tracked by the public catalogue. About space debris →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1132 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1132 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 recorded pass under 10 km
Pair history · YAOGAN 17C ⟷ CZ-4C DEB
Now4.10 km1.70 km/s1,132 kmThis page

Repeat encounters are common for objects in near-intersecting orbital planes; each pass is re-screened as fresh element sets arrive.

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.67 km09-19 13:02 UTC
YAOGAN 17CCOSMOS 970 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 — “YAOGAN 17C ⟷ CZ-4C DEB: 4.10 km close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/39241-43281 (accessed 2026-09-18).