Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›YAOGAN-43 02C ⟷ GAOFEN 11 04
HighProximity
ChinaYAOGAN-43 02CNORAD 60947 · launched Sep 2024Military payload
3.04kmPredicted miss distance
ChinaGAOFEN 11 04NORAD 54818 · launched Dec 2022Payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 18 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 2.45 km at 25 Oct 14:05 UTC.
Closest approach25 Oct 202614:05 UTC
Relative speed8.36 km/sat the closest approach
Altitude492 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed25 Oct13:46 UTC · final forecast
Track YAOGAN-43 02CTrack GAOFEN 11 04All approaches
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CN YAOGAN-43 02C and CN GAOFEN 11 04 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 3.04 km at 2026-10-25 14:05 UTC, at a relative speed of 8.36 km/s. Final forecast, made 18 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 2.45 km at 25 Oct 14:05 UTC. 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-43 02CPayload
NORAD 60947
CountryPRC
Launched2024-09-03
OrbitLEO · 495 × 499 km
COSPAR2024-156C
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
GAOFEN 11 04Payload
NORAD 54818
CountryPRC
Launched2022-12-27
OrbitLEO · 490 × 500 km
COSPAR2022-176A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 492 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 492 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-43 02C ⟷ GAOFEN 11 04
2026-10-25 14:053.04 km Final forecast8.36 km/s492 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
28 Oct 01:23 UTC2.45 km Best estimate25 Oct 14:05 UTC25 Oct 22:49 UTCBest estimate
24 Oct 14:29 UTC3.04 km Forecast25 Oct 14:05 UTC24 Oct 07:25 UTCRe-check
24 Oct 14:09 UTC5.21 km Forecast25 Oct 14:05 UTC24 Oct 07:25 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.95 km10-27 22:34 UTC
YAOGAN-43 02COBJECT BR
2.27 km10-26 06:15 UTC
YAOGAN-43 02CGAOFEN 11 3
2.80 km10-29 04:28 UTC
YAOGAN-43 02COBJECT AX

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-43 02C ⟷ GAOFEN 11 04: 3.04 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/54818-60947 (accessed 2026-11-01).