Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2496 ⟷ COSMOS 2548
MediumProximity
RussiaCOSMOS 2496NORAD 39761 · launched May 2014Military payload
6.56kmPredicted miss distance
RussiaCOSMOS 2548NORAD 47230 · launched Dec 2020Military payload
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 1 Nov 08:57 UTC.
Closest approach2 Nov 202601:04 UTC
Relative speed14.00 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude1,497 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live
Track COSMOS 2496Track COSMOS 2548All approaches
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RU COSMOS 2496 and RU COSMOS 2548 are predicted to reach a closest approach of 6.56 km at 2026-11-02 01:04 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.00 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 1 Nov 08:57 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
COSMOS 2496Payload
NORAD 39761
CountryCIS
Launched2014-05-23
OrbitLEO · 1,478 × 1,511 km
COSPAR2014-028A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
COSMOS 2548Payload
NORAD 47230
CountryCIS
Launched2020-12-03
OrbitLEO · 1,483 × 1,505 km
COSPAR2020-091D
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 1497 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1497 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

5 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2496 ⟷ COSMOS 2548
2026-11-02 03:587.85 km Live forecast14.01 km/s1,494 kmView →
2026-11-02 01:046.56 km Live forecast14.00 km/s1,497 kmShown above
2026-10-31 21:043.16 km Final forecast14.01 km/s1,495 kmView →
2026-10-31 01:453.28 km Final forecast14.01 km/s1,495 kmView →
2026-10-30 14:094.86 km Final forecast14.01 km/s1,495 kmView →

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
1 Nov 01:36 UTC6.56 km Forecast2 Nov 01:04 UTC31 Oct 13:07 UTCRe-check
1 Nov 01:16 UTC7.29 km Forecast2 Nov 01:04 UTC31 Oct 13:07 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.41 km10-27 01:24 UTC
COSMOS 2481COSMOS 2496
2.47 km10-28 13:14 UTC
COSMOS 2037COSMOS 2496
2.79 km10-26 06:39 UTC
COSMOS 2548COSMOS 1431

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 2496 ⟷ COSMOS 2548: 6.56 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/39761-47230 (accessed 2026-11-01).