Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›YAOGAN-39 03A ⟷ ZY 3 2
HighProximity
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 10 min before the pass.
Closest approach22 Oct 202605:34 UTC
Relative speed13.93 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude498 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed22 Oct05:24 UTC · final forecast

CN YAOGAN-39 03A and CN ZY 3 2 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.80 km at 2026-10-22 05:34 UTC, at a relative speed of 13.93 km/s. Final forecast, made 10 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
NORAD 57986
CountryPRC
Launched2023-10-05
COSPAR2023-152A
Maneuver capableUnknown
ZY 3 2Payload
NORAD 41556
CountryPRC
Launched2016-05-30
COSPAR2016-033A
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 498 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 498 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 · YAOGAN-39 03A ⟷ ZY 3 2
2026-10-22 05:343.80 km Final forecast13.93 km/s498 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
22 Oct 02:24 UTC3.80 km Forecast22 Oct 05:34 UTC21 Oct 16:08 UTCRe-check
22 Oct 02:04 UTC6.40 km Forecast22 Oct 05:34 UTC21 Oct 16:08 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.21 km10-21 22:42 UTC
YAOGAN-39 03AGOOD ANCESTOR KILAKILA
2.75 km10-23 05:12 UTC
YAOGAN-39 03AOBJECT W
3.60 km10-21 05:55 UTC
YAOGAN-39 03AOBJECT AK

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-39 03A ⟷ ZY 3 2: 3.80 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/41556-57986 (accessed 2026-10-22).