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CriticalProximity
United StatesUSA 485NORAD 62756 · launched Jan 2025Military payload
926mPredicted miss distance
United StatesUSA 486NORAD 62757 · launched Jan 2025Military payload
Final forecastFinal forecast, made 15 min before the pass.
After the passBest estimate, from the orbit data published nearest its time: within 40 minutes of the predicted time the two stayed at least 158.9 km apart.
Closest approach28 Oct 202604:58 UTC
Drift speed1.7 m/s6 km/h, seen from USA 486
Altitude338 kmlow Earth orbit
Last confirmed28 Oct04:43 UTC · final forecast
Track USA 485Track USA 486All approaches
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US USA 485 and US USA 486 were predicted to reach a closest approach of 926 m at 2026-10-28 04:58 UTC, drifting past at about 1.7 m/s (6 km/h) as seen from USA 486. Final forecast, made 15 min before the pass. 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 158.9 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.

The Two Objects

Dossiers from the satellite directory
USA 485Payload
NORAD 62756
CountryUS
Launched2025-01-21
OrbitLEO · 336 × 338 km
COSPAR2025-014X
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
USA 486Payload
NORAD 62757
CountryUS
Launched2025-01-21
OrbitLEO · 335 × 339 km
COSPAR2025-014Y
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 338 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 338 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 kmShown above
2026-10-27 06:012.06 km Withdrawn0.00 km/s334 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
1 Nov 01:16 UTC158.90 km Best estimate28 Oct 05:39 UTC28 Oct 14:37 UTCBest estimate
27 Oct 13:00 UTC926 m Forecast28 Oct 04:58 UTC27 Oct 06:42 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.12 km10-26 21:55 UTC
USA 486STARLINK-1452
3.57 km10-26 15:50 UTC
USA 485STARLINK-1452
4.22 km11-02 07:03 UTC
USA 485FIREFLY ALPHA R/B

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 — “USA 485 ⟷ USA 486: 926 m predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/62756-62757 (accessed 2026-11-02).