Home›Maneuver Tracker›Close Approaches›KITA-36 ⟷ GRUS-3A
HighProximity
United StatesKITA-36NORAD 69909 · launched Jul 2026Payload
1.06kmPredicted miss distance
JapanGRUS-3ANORAD 69885 · launched Jul 2026Payload
Live forecastConfirmed by the latest screening, 23 Oct 18:50 UTC.
Closest approach24 Oct 202603:22 UTC
Drift speed3.9 m/s14 km/h, seen from GRUS-3A
Altitude603 kmlow Earth orbit
Separation now—live
Track KITA-36Track GRUS-3AAll approaches
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US KITA-36 and JP GRUS-3A are predicted to reach a closest approach of 1.06 km at 2026-10-24 03:22 UTC, drifting past at about 3.9 m/s (14 km/h) as seen from GRUS-3A. Confirmed by the latest screening, 23 Oct 18:50 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
KITA-36Payload
NORAD 69909
CountryUS
Launched2026-07-07
OrbitLEO · 588 × 596 km
COSPAR2026-156AS
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →
GRUS-3APayload
NORAD 69885
CountryJPN
Launched2026-07-07
OrbitLEO · 588 × 598 km
COSPAR2026-156S
Maneuver capableUnknown
Profile →Globe →

Where This Happens

Altitude context
DEBRIS BELT 700–1000 KM2006001,0001,5002,000 kmTHIS PASS · 603 KMISS 420Starlink 550

At 603 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 · KITA-36 ⟷ GRUS-3A
2026-10-24 03:221.06 km Live forecast0.00 km/s603 kmShown above
2026-10-24 02:383.00 km Not re-confirmed0.01 km/s581 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 Nothing is overwritten: a withdrawn forecast keeps its figure, with the newer check beside it, and the best estimate after the pass is a row of its own.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 18:29 UTC1.06 km Forecast24 Oct 03:22 UTC23 Oct 03:38 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 10:16 UTC1.06 km Forecast24 Oct 03:22 UTC23 Oct 03:38 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 03:36 UTC1.07 km Forecast24 Oct 03:21 UTC22 Oct 16:23 UTCRe-check
23 Oct 03:16 UTC1.53 km Forecast24 Oct 03:16 UTC22 Oct 16:23 UTCScreen

These Objects Elsewhere

Other screened approaches · 7 days
3.28 km10-24 11:38 UTC
KITA-36SL-8 DEB
3.54 km10-21 15:01 UTC
KITA-36ET-001D
3.61 km10-18 03:19 UTC
KITA-36BEE-1000

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 — “KITA-36 ⟷ GRUS-3A: 1.06 km predicted close approach”, https://orbitalradar.com/conjunction/69885-69909 (accessed 2026-10-23).