Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›YAOGAN-30 N ⟷ DMSP 5D-2 F13 DEB
HighCross-border
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 16 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 6.28 km at 31 Oct 13:12 UTC.
Closest approach31 Oct 202613:12 UTC
Relative speed13.95 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude550 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed31 Oct12:56 UTC · final forecast

CN YAOGAN-30 N and US DMSP 5D-2 F13 DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 6.70 km at 2026-10-31 13:12 UTC, at a relative speed of 13.95 km/s. Final forecast, made 16 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 6.28 km at 31 Oct 13:12 UTC. This is a cross-border encounter between objects of different nations, the kind of event closely watched for space-security implications. 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 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
NORAD 44449
CountryPRC
Launched2019-07-26
COSPAR2019-045A
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 42271
CountryUS
Launched1995-03-24
COSPAR1995-015GM
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 · 550 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 550 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

2 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · YAOGAN-30 N ⟷ DMSP 5D-2 F13 DEB
2026-10-31 13:126.70 km Final forecast13.95 km/s550 kmShown above
2026-10-05 17:069.51 km Not re-confirmed8.00 km/s562 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
4 Nov 01:44 UTC6.28 km Best estimate31 Oct 13:12 UTC1 Nov 05:58 UTCBest estimate
31 Oct 10:56 UTC6.70 km Forecast31 Oct 13:12 UTC31 Oct 03:37 UTCRe-check
31 Oct 10:36 UTC8.71 km Forecast31 Oct 13:12 UTC31 Oct 03:37 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
545 m11-03 22:47 UTC
YAOGAN-30 NSTARLINK-5931
2.24 km11-04 08:28 UTC
OBJECT HDMSP 5D-2 F13 DEB
2.32 km11-04 00:23 UTC
YAOGAN-30 NSTARLINK-5931

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 →