Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›YAOGAN-47 ⟷ SKYBEE-A01
HighProximity
ChinaYAOGAN-47NORAD 66988 · launched Dec 2025Military payload
4.74kmPredicted miss distance
GermanySKYBEE-A01NORAD 62671 · launched Jan 2025Payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 14 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 4.74 km at 24 Oct 18:43 UTC.
Closest approach24 Oct 202618:43 UTC
Drift speed799 m/s2,875 km/h, seen from SKYBEE-A01
Altitude506 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed24 Oct18:29 UTC · final forecast
Track YAOGAN-47Track SKYBEE-A01All approaches
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CN YAOGAN-47 and DE SKYBEE-A01 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 4.74 km at 2026-10-24 18:43 UTC, drifting past at about 799 m/s (2,875 km/h) as seen from SKYBEE-A01. Final forecast, made 14 min before the pass. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: 4.74 km at 24 Oct 18:43 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-47Payload
NORAD 66988
CountryPRC
Launched2025-12-09
OrbitLEO · 491 × 498 km
COSPAR2025-289A
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
SKYBEE-A01Payload
NORAD 62671
CountryGER
Launched2025-01-14
OrbitLEO · 498 × 504 km
COSPAR2025-009BQ
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 506 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 506 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-47 ⟷ SKYBEE-A01
2026-10-24 18:434.74 km Final forecast0.80 km/s506 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 08:04 UTC4.74 km Best estimate24 Oct 18:43 UTC24 Oct 06:29 UTCBest estimate
24 Oct 12:29 UTC4.74 km Forecast24 Oct 18:43 UTC24 Oct 06:29 UTCRe-check
24 Oct 00:29 UTC4.27 km Forecast24 Oct 18:43 UTC23 Oct 19:26 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 18:49 UTC4.66 km Forecast24 Oct 18:43 UTC23 Oct 05:13 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
1.89 km10-27 01:29 UTC
YAOGAN-47SPACEEYE-T1
2.41 km10-28 03:29 UTC
YAOGAN-47SPACEEYE-T1
2.41 km10-27 09:22 UTC
YAOGAN-47SPACEEYE-T1

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-47 ⟷ SKYBEE-A01: 4.74 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/62671-66988 (accessed 2026-10-27).