Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2566 ⟷ METEOR 2-17 DEB
MediumProximity
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 29 Oct 05:36 UTC.
Closest approach29 Oct 202607:18 UTC
Relative speed5.05 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude904 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live

RU COSMOS 2566 and RU METEOR 2-17 DEB are predicted to reach a closest approach of 9.36 km at 2026-10-29 07:18 UTC, at a relative speed of 5.05 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 29 Oct 05:36 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 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 54383
CountryCIS
Launched2022-11-30
COSPAR2022-163C
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 45521
CountryCIS
Launched1988-01-30
COSPAR1988-005BB
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 · 904 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 904 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

3 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2566 ⟷ METEOR 2-17 DEB
2026-10-29 08:092.59 km Live forecast5.05 km/s900 kmView →
2026-10-29 07:189.36 km Live forecast5.05 km/s904 kmShown above
2026-10-29 05:358.97 km Final forecast5.03 km/s904 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
28 Oct 12:15 UTC9.36 km Forecast29 Oct 07:18 UTC26 Oct 09:25 UTCRe-check
28 Oct 11:56 UTC9.88 km Forecast29 Oct 07:18 UTC26 Oct 09:25 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
655 m10-29 23:33 UTC
COSMOS 2566LANDSAT 1 (ERTS 1)
3.87 km10-29 05:31 UTC
COSMOS 2566THORAD AGENA D DEB
4.32 km10-24 05:32 UTC
COSMOS 2566METEOR 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 →

Cite this encounter: Orbital Radar — “COSMOS 2566 ⟷ METEOR 2-17 DEB: 9.36 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/45521-54383 (accessed 2026-10-29).