CNSJ-30B and USSTARLINK-5322 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 5.64 km at 2026-10-21 08:42 UTC, at a relative speed of 11.22 km/s. Final forecast, made 10 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 9.28 km at 21 Oct 08:42 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.
At 520 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 · SJ-30B ⟷ STARLINK-5322
2026-10-21 08:425.64 km Final forecast11.22 km/s520 kmShown above
2026-10-17 11:199.05 km Final forecast11.69 km/s523 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
23 Oct 08:56 UTC9.28 km Best estimate21 Oct 08:42 UTC21 Oct 10:17 UTCBest estimate
21 Oct 03:52 UTC5.64 km Forecast21 Oct 08:42 UTC20 Oct 22:09 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 21:52 UTC6.75 km Forecast21 Oct 08:42 UTC20 Oct 15:41 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 15:52 UTC5.62 km Forecast21 Oct 08:42 UTC20 Oct 10:16 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 13:18 UTC5.95 km Forecast21 Oct 08:42 UTC20 Oct 08:26 UTCRe-check
20 Oct 12:58 UTC7.05 km Forecast21 Oct 08:42 UTC20 Oct 08:26 UTCScreen
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 — “SJ-30B ⟷ STARLINK-5322: 5.64 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/55303-66546 (accessed 2026-10-24).
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