Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2489 ⟷ COSMOS 873
HighProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2489NORAD 39484 · launched Dec 2013Military payload
4.43kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 873NORAD 9590 · launched Dec 1976Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 18 min before the pass.
Closest approach24 Oct 202604:26 UTC
Relative speed12.63 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,496 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed24 Oct04:09 UTC · final forecast
Track COSMOS 2489Track COSMOS 873All approaches
Share

RU COSMOS 2489 and RU COSMOS 873 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 4.43 km at 2026-10-24 04:26 UTC, at a relative speed of 12.63 km/s. Final forecast, made 18 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 2489Payload
NORAD 39484
CountryCIS
Launched2013-12-25
OrbitLEO · 1,478 × 1,511 km
COSPAR2013-076B
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 873Payload
NORAD 9590
CountryCIS
Launched1976-12-07
OrbitLEO · 1,464 × 1,495 km
COSPAR1976-118C
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1496 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1496 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 2489 ⟷ COSMOS 873
2026-10-24 04:264.43 km Final forecast12.63 km/s1,496 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
24 Oct 00:29 UTC4.43 km Forecast24 Oct 04:26 UTC23 Oct 19:46 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 18:29 UTC4.40 km Forecast24 Oct 04:26 UTC23 Oct 05:53 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 11:25 UTC4.49 km Forecast24 Oct 04:26 UTC23 Oct 03:57 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 11:14 UTC5.20 km Forecast24 Oct 04:26 UTC23 Oct 03:57 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.52 km10-23 21:11 UTC
COSMOS 2125COSMOS 873
3.84 km10-20 07:45 UTC
COSMOS 2489SL-14 R/B
6.17 km10-21 02:48 UTC
COSMOS 2489DELTA 1 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 — “COSMOS 2489 ⟷ COSMOS 873: 4.43 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/39484-9590 (accessed 2026-10-24).