Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›SHIYAN 27B ⟷ THORAD AGENA D DEB
high · CROSS-BORDER
5.46 kmpredicted miss distance
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 15 min before the pass.
Predicted closest approach
2026-10-20 17:26 UTC
Relative speed
11.01 km/s
Altitude
Last confirmed
20 Oct 17:12 UTC
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CN SHIYAN 27B and US THORAD AGENA D DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.46 km at 2026-10-20 17:26 UTC, at a relative speed of 11.01 km/s. Final forecast, made 15 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 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
SHIYAN 27BPayload
NORAD 63600
CountryPRC
Launched2025-04-18
COSPAR2025-078B
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 4688
CountryUS
Launched1970-04-08
COSPAR1970-025BM
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 · 1054 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 1054 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 · SHIYAN 27B ⟷ THORAD AGENA D DEB
2026-10-20 17:265.46 km Final forecast11.01 km/s1,054 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
20 Oct 12:32 UTC5.46 km Forecast20 Oct 17:26 UTC20 Oct 07:19 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 12:13 UTC5.42 km Forecast20 Oct 17:26 UTC20 Oct 00:15 UTCRe-check

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
4.72 km10-20 22:02 UTC
SHIYAN 27BCOSMOS 970 DEB
6.77 km10-19 06:58 UTC
SHIYAN 27BTHORAD AGENA D DEB
7.69 km10-14 15:31 UTC
SHIYAN 27BNIMBUS 2 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 — “SHIYAN 27B ⟷ THORAD AGENA D DEB: 5.46 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/4688-63600 (accessed 2026-10-20).