Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›YAOGAN-36 04A ⟷ HOTSAT-1
MediumProximity
ChinaYAOGAN-36 04ANORAD 54746 · launched Dec 2022Military payload
5.06kmPredicted miss distance
United KingdomHOTSAT-1NORAD 56954 · launched Jun 2023Payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 8 min before the pass.
Closest approach21 Oct 202608:00 UTC
Relative speed10.76 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude500 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed21 Oct07:52 UTC · final forecast
Track YAOGAN-36 04ATrack HOTSAT-1All approaches
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CN YAOGAN-36 04A and UK HOTSAT-1 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.06 km at 2026-10-21 08:00 UTC, at a relative speed of 10.76 km/s. Final forecast, made 8 min before the pass. 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
YAOGAN-36 04APayload
NORAD 54746
CountryPRC
Launched2022-12-14
OrbitLEO · 493 × 504 km
COSPAR2022-171A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
HOTSAT-1Payload
NORAD 56954
CountryUK
Launched2023-06-12
OrbitLEO · 494 × 495 km
COSPAR2023-084Y
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 500 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 500 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 · YAOGAN-36 04A ⟷ HOTSAT-1
2026-10-21 08:005.06 km Final forecast10.76 km/s500 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
21 Oct 03:52 UTC5.06 km Forecast21 Oct 08:00 UTC20 Oct 22:53 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 12:39 UTC5.48 km Forecast21 Oct 08:00 UTC20 Oct 06:56 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 12:32 UTC6.72 km Forecast21 Oct 08:00 UTC20 Oct 06:56 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
4.45 km10-22 14:38 UTC
YAOGAN-36 04ASUPERVIEW NEO-1 04
4.53 km10-21 21:53 UTC
YAOGAN-36 04AETIHAD-SAT
4.59 km10-22 08:36 UTC
YAOGAN-35 05AHOTSAT-1

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 — “YAOGAN-36 04A ⟷ HOTSAT-1: 5.06 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/54746-56954 (accessed 2026-10-21).