Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›YAOGAN-30 AE ⟷ NOAA 16 DEB
HighCross-border
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 15 Nov 01:51 UTC.
Closest approach15 Nov 202607:42 UTC
Relative speed13.96 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude556 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live

CN YAOGAN-30 AE and US NOAA 16 DEB are predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.40 km at 2026-11-15 07:42 UTC, at a relative speed of 13.96 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 15 Nov 01:51 UTC. This is a cross-border encounter between objects of different nations. 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 49028
CountryPRC
Launched2021-07-19
COSPAR2021-065C
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 42427
CountryUS
Launched2000-09-21
COSPAR2000-055TX
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 · 556 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 556 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 AE ⟷ NOAA 16 DEB
2026-11-15 07:425.40 km Live forecast13.96 km/s556 kmShown above
2026-11-15 06:06881 m Live forecast13.96 km/s556 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
14 Nov 17:09 UTC5.40 km Forecast15 Nov 07:42 UTC14 Nov 11:46 UTCRe-check
14 Nov 11:53 UTC5.23 km Forecast15 Nov 07:42 UTC14 Nov 00:36 UTCRe-check
14 Nov 09:02 UTC5.25 km Forecast15 Nov 07:42 UTC13 Nov 18:14 UTCRe-check
14 Nov 08:42 UTC5.33 km Forecast15 Nov 07:42 UTC13 Nov 15:03 UTCRe-check
14 Nov 08:22 UTC9.97 km Forecast15 Nov 07:42 UTC13 Nov 15:03 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.07 km11-12 19:29 UTC
COSMOS 2611NOAA 16 DEB
3.82 km11-11 06:29 UTC
YAOGAN-30 AENOAA 17 DEB
3.94 km11-10 06:58 UTC
YAOGAN-30 AEQPS-SAR-15 SUKUNAMI-1

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 →