WithdrawnNewer orbit data from 29 Oct 06:59 UTC no longer shows this pass. Within 40 minutes of the predicted time the two stayed at least 22.5 km apart. The most recent pass the screening confirmed up to its time: 8.71 km on 29 Oct 13:10 UTC.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 58.6 km at 30 Oct 13:20 UTC.
USUSA 283 and CNAPSTAR 6C were predicted to reach a closest approach of 4.10 km at 2026-10-30 13:04 UTC, drifting past at about 2.2 m/s (8 km/h) as seen from APSTAR 6C. Withdrawn: newer orbit data from 29 Oct 06:59 UTC no longer shows this pass. Within 40 minutes of the predicted time the two stayed at least 22.5 km apart. The figure above is the forecast as it was published; the newer check is shown beside it, and nothing is overwritten. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 58.6 km at 30 Oct 13:20 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 mattersBoth objects are catalogued as payloads. Screening continues as new element sets arrive; operators act on their own conjunction data.
This pass happens near the geostationary belt, where satellites hold fixed longitude slots and relative speeds are low. Close approaches here are usually slow drifts rather than crossing passes. About GEO →
History Between This Pair
6 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · USA 283 ⟷ APSTAR 6C
2026-10-30 13:044.10 km Withdrawn0.00 km/s35,790 kmShown above
2026-10-29 13:108.71 km Final forecast0.00 km/s35,790 kmView →
2026-10-26 14:279.22 km Final forecast0.00 km/s35,791 kmView →
2026-10-26 13:243.61 km Final forecast0.00 km/s35,790 kmView →
2026-10-18 12:429.07 km Final forecast0.00 km/s35,788 kmView →
2026-10-17 12:114.42 km Final forecast0.00 km/s35,788 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
3 Nov 03:29 UTC58.63 km Best estimate30 Oct 13:20 UTC31 Oct 18:51 UTCBest estimate
30 Oct 09:31 UTC22.50 km Withdrawn30 Oct 12:24 UTC29 Oct 06:59 UTCRe-check
29 Oct 12:51 UTC4.10 km Forecast30 Oct 13:04 UTC26 Oct 12:32 UTCRe-check
29 Oct 12:31 UTC5.95 km Forecast30 Oct 12:31 UTC26 Oct 12:32 UTCScreen
29 Oct 12:11 UTC7.99 km Forecast30 Oct 12:11 UTC26 Oct 12:32 UTCScreen
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 →
✓ Permanent record. This encounter met the notability thresholds and keeps an archived page after the pass.
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