Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›USA 283 ⟷ APSTAR 6D
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WithdrawnNewer orbit data from 23 Oct 20:59 UTC no longer shows this pass. Within 40 minutes of the predicted time the two stayed at least 42.7 km apart. The most recent pass the screening confirmed up to its time: 9.00 km on 29 Oct 06:21 UTC.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: within 40 minutes of the predicted time the two stayed at least 43.2 km apart.
Closest approach24 Oct 202606:55 UTC
Drift speed2.7 m/s10 km/h, seen from APSTAR 6D
Altitude35,791 kmnear the geostationary belt
Last confirmed23 Oct18:09 UTC · withdrawn

US USA 283 and CN APSTAR 6D were predicted to reach a closest approach of 7.52 km at 2026-10-24 06:55 UTC, drifting past at about 2.7 m/s (10 km/h) as seen from APSTAR 6D. Withdrawn: newer orbit data from 23 Oct 20:59 UTC no longer shows this pass. Within 40 minutes of the predicted time the two stayed at least 42.7 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: within 40 minutes of the predicted time the two stayed at least 43.2 km apart. 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.

The Two Objects

Dossiers from the satellite directory
USA 283Payload
NORAD 43339
CountryUS
Launched2018-04-14
COSPAR2018-036A
Maneuver capableUnknown
APSTAR 6DPayload
NORAD 45863
CountryPRC
Launched2020-07-09
COSPAR2020-045A
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
GEO BELT 35,786 KMTHIS PASS · 35,791 KMLEOMEOGEO

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 6D
2026-10-29 06:219.00 km Final forecast0.00 km/s35,789 kmView →
2026-10-29 05:098.82 km Withdrawn0.00 km/s35,789 kmView →
2026-10-24 06:557.52 km Withdrawn0.00 km/s35,791 kmShown above
2026-10-21 07:479.17 km Withdrawn0.00 km/s35,792 kmView →
2026-10-20 07:379.17 km Final forecast0.00 km/s35,792 kmView →
2026-10-15 07:288.43 km Not re-confirmed0.00 km/s35,792 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
27 Oct 00:24 UTC43.17 km Best estimate24 Oct 06:14 UTC23 Oct 22:42 UTCBest estimate
23 Oct 18:29 UTC18.94 km Withdrawn24 Oct 06:14 UTC23 Oct 09:01 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 06:36 UTC7.52 km Forecast24 Oct 06:55 UTC21 Oct 22:48 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 06:16 UTC9.64 km Forecast24 Oct 06:16 UTC21 Oct 22:48 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.69 km10-29 09:50 UTC
USA 283APSTAR 6E
4.75 km11-05 09:40 UTC
USA 283APSTAR 6E
6.19 km11-01 10:25 UTC
USA 283APSTAR 6E

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 →