Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2528 ⟷ CZ-6A DEB
HighCross-border
On permanent record
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 4.05 km at 9 Nov 06:36 UTC.
Closest approach9 Nov 202606:36 UTC
Relative speed14.58 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude908 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed9 Nov06:32 UTC · final forecast

RU COSMOS 2528 and CN CZ-6A DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.77 km at 2026-11-09 06:36 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.58 km/s. Final forecast, made minutes before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 4.05 km at 9 Nov 06:36 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 43657
CountryCIS
Launched2018-10-25
COSPAR2018-082A
Maneuver capableUnknown
CZ-6A DEBDebris
NORAD 56671
CountryPRC
Launched2022-11-11
COSPAR2022-151AGX
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 · 908 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 908 km this pass sits inside the most congested band in low Earth orbit, home to the debris left by the 2007 ASAT test and the 2009 collision. 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

1 predicted pass under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2528 ⟷ CZ-6A DEB
2026-11-09 06:363.77 km Final forecast · after: 4.05 km14.58 km/s908 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
14 Nov 02:02 UTC4.05 km Best estimate9 Nov 06:36 UTC9 Nov 02:04 UTCBest estimate
8 Nov 18:32 UTC3.77 km Forecast9 Nov 06:36 UTC8 Nov 02:01 UTCRe-check
8 Nov 18:12 UTC8.80 km Forecast9 Nov 06:36 UTC8 Nov 02:01 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
503 m11-12 23:13 UTC
COSMOS 2528CZ-6A DEB
3.97 km11-13 15:46 UTC
COSMOS 2528SL-16 DEB
4.62 km11-07 05:14 UTC
COSMOS 2528METEOR 2-11 DEB

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 →

✓ Permanent record. This encounter met the notability thresholds and keeps an archived page after the pass.