WithdrawnNewer orbit data from 25 Oct 07:36 UTC no longer shows this pass. Within 40 minutes of the predicted time the two stayed at least 260.9 km apart. The most recent pass the screening confirmed up to its time: 4.25 km on 30 Oct 07:17 UTC.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: within 40 minutes of the predicted time the two stayed at least 138.9 km apart.
USUSA 485 and USUSA 486 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 2.06 km at 2026-10-27 06:01 UTC, drifting past at about 3.6 m/s (13 km/h) as seen from USA 486. Withdrawn: newer orbit data from 25 Oct 07:36 UTC no longer shows this pass. Within 40 minutes of the predicted time the two stayed at least 260.9 km apart. The figure above is the forecast as it was published; the newer check is shown beside it, and nothing is overwritten. Best estimate after the pass, from the orbit data published nearest its time: within 40 minutes of the predicted time the two stayed at least 138.9 km apart. 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 334 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
6 predicted passes under 10 km
Pair history · USA 485 ⟷ USA 486
2026-11-02 17:521.79 km Live forecast0.00 km/s330 kmView →
2026-10-30 07:174.25 km Final forecast0.02 km/s340 kmView →
2026-10-30 05:462.52 km Final forecast0.02 km/s340 kmView →
2026-10-28 05:437.06 km Final forecast0.01 km/s330 kmView →
2026-10-28 04:58926 m Final forecast0.00 km/s338 kmView →
2026-10-27 06:012.06 km Withdrawn0.00 km/s334 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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
30 Oct 19:52 UTC138.94 km Best estimate27 Oct 06:42 UTC27 Oct 06:42 UTCBest estimate
26 Oct 09:03 UTC260.92 km Withdrawn27 Oct 05:21 UTC25 Oct 07:36 UTCRe-check
26 Oct 05:43 UTC2.06 km Forecast27 Oct 06:01 UTC24 Oct 07:18 UTCRe-check
26 Oct 05:23 UTC6.15 km Forecast27 Oct 05:23 UTC24 Oct 07:18 UTCScreen
26 Oct 05:03 UTC8.55 km Forecast27 Oct 05:03 UTC24 Oct 07:18 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 — “USA 485 ⟷ USA 486: 2.06 km forecast, withdrawn”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/62756-62757 (accessed 2026-11-02).
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