Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›USA 283 ⟷ APSTAR 6E
high · CROSS-BORDER
6.80 kmpredicted miss distance
Final forecastLast computed 29 Oct 11:11 UTC, while the two were flying close together.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: within 40 minutes of the predicted time the two stayed at least 20.1 km apart.
Predicted closest approach
2026-10-29 11:11 UTC
Relative speed
0.00 km/s
Altitude
Last confirmed
29 Oct 11:11 UTC
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US USA 283 and CN APSTAR 6E were predicted to reach a closest approach of 6.80 km at 2026-10-29 11:11 UTC, at a relative speed of 0.00 km/s. Last computed 29 Oct 11:11 UTC, while the two were flying close together. These two were already within 6.80 km of each other when this was computed and moving apart: they were flying close together rather than crossing paths, so this is their separation at the time shown. 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 20.1 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 6EPayload
NORAD 55239
CountryPRC
Launched2023-01-12
COSPAR2023-005A
Maneuver capableUnknown

Where This Happens

Altitude context
GEO BELT 35,786 KMTHIS PASS · 35,790 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 6E
2026-11-05 09:404.75 km Live forecast0.00 km/s35,786 kmView →
2026-11-02 11:129.21 km Withdrawn0.00 km/s35,790 kmView →
2026-11-01 11:368.74 km Final forecast0.00 km/s35,791 kmView →
2026-11-01 10:256.19 km Final forecast0.00 km/s35,787 kmView →
2026-10-30 09:464.81 km Withdrawn0.00 km/s35,786 kmView →
2026-10-29 11:116.80 km Final forecast0.00 km/s35,790 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
2 Nov 10:14 UTC20.12 km Best estimate29 Oct 10:31 UTC29 Oct 06:59 UTCBest estimate
29 Oct 10:31 UTC4.05 km Forecast29 Oct 10:31 UTC29 Oct 00:09 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
8.71 km10-29 13:10 UTC
USA 283APSTAR 6C
9.00 km10-29 06:21 UTC
USA 283APSTAR 6D

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 →