Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›COSMOS 2550 ⟷ STARLINK-36603
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RussiaCOSMOS 2550NORAD 48865 · launched Jun 2021Military payload
3.60kmPredicted miss distance
United StatesSTARLINK-36603NORAD 67592 · launched Jan 2026Payload
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 31 Oct 15:17 UTC.
Closest approach31 Oct 202615:45 UTC
Relative speed6.33 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude462 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live
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RU COSMOS 2550 and US STARLINK-36603 are predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.60 km at 2026-10-31 15:45 UTC, at a relative speed of 6.33 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 31 Oct 15:17 UTC. 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.

The Two Objects

Dossiers from the satellite directory
COSMOS 2550Payload
NORAD 48865
CountryCIS
Launched2021-06-25
OrbitLEO · 459 × 470 km
COSPAR2021-056A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
STARLINK-36603Payload
NORAD 67592
CountryUS
Launched2026-01-29
OrbitLEO · 465 × 466 km
COSPAR2026-018D
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 462 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 462 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

3 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · COSMOS 2550 ⟷ STARLINK-36603
2026-10-31 15:453.60 km Live forecast6.33 km/s462 kmShown above
2026-10-31 14:588.71 km Final forecast6.34 km/s469 kmView →
2026-09-28 00:339.65 km Not re-confirmed15.11 km/s469 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
31 Oct 15:16 UTC3.60 km Forecast31 Oct 15:45 UTC31 Oct 11:03 UTCRe-check
31 Oct 09:16 UTC3.29 km Forecast31 Oct 15:45 UTC31 Oct 05:49 UTCRe-check
31 Oct 03:42 UTC3.20 km Forecast31 Oct 15:45 UTC30 Oct 23:00 UTCRe-check
30 Oct 21:09 UTC3.23 km Forecast31 Oct 15:45 UTC30 Oct 17:03 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.61 km10-29 00:26 UTC
COSMOS 2550STARLINK-31984
2.25 km10-26 12:15 UTC
COSMOS 2550STARLINK-36748
2.36 km10-27 17:18 UTC
COSMOS 2550STARLINK-4399

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 2550 ⟷ STARLINK-36603: 3.60 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/48865-67592 (accessed 2026-10-31).
✓ Permanent record. This encounter met the notability thresholds and keeps an archived page after the pass.