Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›R5-S9 ⟷ COSMOS 434 DEB
HighCross-border
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 26 Oct 23:05 UTC.
Closest approach27 Oct 202614:45 UTC
Relative speed13.15 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude589 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live

US R5-S9 and RU COSMOS 434 DEB are predicted to reach a closest approach of 6.81 km at 2026-10-27 14:45 UTC, at a relative speed of 13.15 km/s. Confirmed by the latest screening, 26 Oct 23:05 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 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
R5-S9Payload
NORAD 69901
CountryUS
Launched2026-07-07
COSPAR2026-156AJ
Maneuver capableUnknown
NORAD 5426
CountryCIS
Launched1971-08-12
COSPAR1971-069C
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 · 589 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 589 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

2 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · R5-S9 ⟷ COSMOS 434 DEB
2026-10-27 14:456.81 km Live forecast13.15 km/s589 kmShown above
2026-10-27 13:093.69 km Live forecast13.13 km/s589 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
26 Oct 17:01 UTC6.81 km Forecast27 Oct 14:45 UTC26 Oct 02:52 UTCRe-check
26 Oct 16:41 UTC7.01 km Forecast27 Oct 14:45 UTC26 Oct 02:52 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.77 km10-23 21:57 UTC
R5-S9CZ-6A DEB
2.84 km10-26 20:29 UTC
R5-S9HORYU 2
2.96 km10-22 14:37 UTC
R5-S9FIREFLY-3

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 — “R5-S9 ⟷ COSMOS 434 DEB: 6.81 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/5426-69901 (accessed 2026-10-26).