CNSHIYAN 6 (SY-6) and USSTARLINK-33997 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 7.26 km at 2026-10-29 15:07 UTC, at a relative speed of 10.30 km/s. Final forecast, made 16 min before the pass. 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.
At 467 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
6 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · SHIYAN 6 (SY-6) ⟷ STARLINK-33997
2026-10-30 17:474.81 km Live forecast9.92 km/s468 kmView →
2026-10-29 19:499.09 km Final forecast10.23 km/s467 kmView →
2026-10-29 16:418.20 km Final forecast10.28 km/s467 kmView →
2026-10-29 15:077.26 km Final forecast10.30 km/s467 kmShown above
2026-10-29 11:586.28 km Final forecast10.34 km/s467 kmView →
2026-10-29 07:165.80 km Final forecast10.40 km/s467 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
29 Oct 09:31 UTC7.26 km Forecast29 Oct 15:07 UTC29 Oct 06:42 UTCRe-check
29 Oct 06:15 UTC7.18 km Forecast29 Oct 15:07 UTC29 Oct 01:09 UTCRe-check
29 Oct 00:15 UTC6.16 km Forecast29 Oct 15:07 UTC28 Oct 19:29 UTCRe-check
28 Oct 18:15 UTC5.71 km Forecast29 Oct 15:07 UTC28 Oct 14:11 UTCRe-check
28 Oct 17:35 UTC6.44 km Forecast29 Oct 15:07 UTC28 Oct 08:39 UTCRe-check
28 Oct 17:15 UTC9.64 km Forecast29 Oct 15:07 UTC28 Oct 08:39 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 →
Cite this encounter: Orbital Radar — “SHIYAN 6 (SY-6) ⟷ STARLINK-33997: 7.26 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/43711-63928 (accessed 2026-10-29).
Help Keep the Signal Live
Pay with your account email to get the Site Supporter mission patch.