Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›YAOGAN-30 S ⟷ OBJECT C
MediumProximity
ChinaYAOGAN-30 SNORAD 45461 · launched Mar 2020Military payload
6.07kmPredicted miss distance
TBDOBJECT CNORAD 60237 · launched Jul 2024Payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 6.03 km at 21 Oct 13:09 UTC.
Closest approach21 Oct 202613:09 UTC
Relative speed4.36 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude560 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed21 Oct13:06 UTC · final forecast
Track YAOGAN-30 STrack OBJECT CAll approaches
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CN YAOGAN-30 S and TBD OBJECT C were predicted to reach a closest approach of 6.07 km at 2026-10-21 13:09 UTC, at a relative speed of 4.36 km/s. Final forecast, made minutes before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 6.03 km at 21 Oct 13:09 UTC. 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
YAOGAN-30 SPayload
NORAD 45461
CountryPRC
Launched2020-03-24
OrbitLEO · 555 × 559 km
COSPAR2020-021B
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
OBJECT CPayload
NORAD 60237
CountryTBD
Launched2024-07-09
OrbitLEO · 529 × 559 km
COSPAR2024-128C
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 560 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 560 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

1 predicted pass under 10 km
Pair history · YAOGAN-30 S ⟷ OBJECT C
2026-10-21 13:096.07 km Final forecast4.36 km/s560 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
23 Oct 13:49 UTC6.03 km Best estimate21 Oct 13:09 UTC21 Oct 14:57 UTCBest estimate
21 Oct 09:46 UTC6.07 km Forecast21 Oct 13:09 UTC21 Oct 02:12 UTCRe-check
21 Oct 03:52 UTC6.08 km Forecast21 Oct 13:09 UTC20 Oct 23:01 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 15:52 UTC6.26 km Forecast21 Oct 13:09 UTC20 Oct 02:18 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 15:33 UTC6.68 km Forecast21 Oct 13:09 UTC20 Oct 02:18 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
2.28 km10-21 09:17 UTC
YAOGAN-30 SCZ-4B DEB
3.08 km10-21 17:14 UTC
YAOGAN-30 SQPS-SAR-10 WADATSUMI-I
6.36 km10-24 03:45 UTC
YAOGAN-30 SION SCV-014

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 →

Cite this encounter: Orbital Radar — “YAOGAN-30 S ⟷ OBJECT C: 6.07 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/45461-60237 (accessed 2026-10-23).