Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›FIRESAT2 ⟷ CZ-6A DEB
HighCross-border
Final forecastFinal forecast, made minutes before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 6.66 km at 25 Oct 10:43 UTC.
Closest approach25 Oct 202610:43 UTC
Relative speed14.68 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude619 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed25 Oct10:39 UTC · final forecast

US FIRESAT2 and CN CZ-6A DEB were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.38 km at 2026-10-25 10:43 UTC, at a relative speed of 14.68 km/s. Final forecast, made minutes before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 6.66 km at 25 Oct 10:43 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
FIRESAT2Payload
NORAD 69873
CountryUS
Launched2026-07-07
COSPAR2026-156E
Maneuver capableUnknown
CZ-6A DEBDebris
NORAD 54286
CountryPRC
Launched2022-11-11
COSPAR2022-151AD
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 · 619 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 619 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 · FIRESAT2 ⟷ CZ-6A DEB
2026-10-25 12:196.34 km Final forecast14.68 km/s619 kmView →
2026-10-25 10:435.38 km Final forecast14.68 km/s619 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
27 Oct 22:23 UTC6.66 km Best estimate25 Oct 10:43 UTC25 Oct 23:51 UTCBest estimate
24 Oct 12:49 UTC5.38 km Forecast25 Oct 10:43 UTC24 Oct 04:16 UTCRe-check
24 Oct 12:29 UTC6.04 km Forecast25 Oct 10:42 UTC24 Oct 04:16 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
919 m10-31 14:58 UTC
FIRESAT2METEOR 1-10 DEB
2.22 km10-27 13:19 UTC
SJ-16FIRESAT2
4.29 km10-25 21:44 UTC
FIRESAT2AAC-AIS-SAT3

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 — “FIRESAT2 ⟷ CZ-6A DEB: 5.38 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/54286-69873 (accessed 2026-10-31).