VERTECS beside TRACERS 2
A satellite of KYUT moved up beside a satellite of NASA, 0.9 km away at the nearest, and left after 1 day 4 h.
Left · the one that moved opened the distance on June 13, 2026
- Nearest
- 0.9 km
- Jun 13 · 10:59 PM UTC
- Beside for
- 1 day 4 h
- Jun 12, 3:34 AM to Jun 13, 8:22 AM UTC
- Took to come beside
- 0 min
- same plane Jun 12, same height Jun 12
- Orbit
- LEO
- low Earth orbit
Whether KYUT or NASA has said what this rendezvous was is not recorded yet. What others said is below; this page draws no conclusion.
The stages
Each step is one of Space-Track’s element sets, run through SGP4 and set against the other’s. A stage is raised by one set and confirmed when a later one agrees.
published 11:16 PM UTC
Same plane seen
VERTECS’s orbit was found in TRACERS 2’s plane, 0.006° off, and 0.25 km lower.
Δa −0.25 km · θ 0.006°
published 11:16 PM UTC
Same height seen
VERTECS’s orbit had come to within 0.25 km of TRACERS 2’s height.
1.23 km · Δa −0.25 km · θ 0.006°
published 11:16 PM UTC
Beside raised
A set placed VERTECS beside TRACERS 2. One set raises it; a later one must agree.
1.23 km · 35.2 km a day later · Δa −0.25 km · θ 0.006°
published 11:26 PM UTC
Beside confirmed
A later set agreed: VERTECS stayed beside TRACERS 2.
21.99 km · 56.5 km a day later · Δa −0.24 km · θ 0.007°
published 10:36 AM UTC
Left raised
A set saw VERTECS moving away from TRACERS 2. One set raises it; a later one must agree.
4,034.80 km · 7,014.0 km a day later · Δa −23.14 km · θ 0.040°
published 11:06 AM UTC
Left confirmed
A later set agreed: VERTECS had left TRACERS 2.
4,316.61 km · 7,258.7 km a day later · Δa −23.06 km · θ 0.027°
published Jun 14, 5:02 AM UTC
Same height raised
VERTECS’s orbit had come to within 0.04 km of TRACERS 2’s height.
0.86 km · 5.8 km a day later · Δa +0.04 km · θ 0.000°
Reported elsewhere
No report elsewhere names this rendezvous yet.
Every verdict as numbers
| Stage | State | Set epoch (UTC) | Published (UTC) | Distance | A day later | Δa | θ | Exclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Same plane | seen | 2026-06-12 03:34:47 | 2026-06-12 23:16:46 | −0.25 km | 0.0063° | |||
| Same height | seen | 2026-06-12 03:34:47 | 2026-06-12 23:16:46 | 1.23 km | −0.25 km | 0.0063° | ||
| Beside | raised | 2026-06-12 03:34:47 | 2026-06-12 23:16:46 | 1.23 km | 35.23 km | −0.25 km | 0.0063° | |
| Beside | confirmed | 2026-06-12 19:39:35 | 2026-06-12 23:26:33 | 21.99 km | 56.47 km | −0.24 km | 0.0074° | |
| Left | raised | 2026-06-13 08:22:23 | 2026-06-13 10:36:17 | 4,034.80 km | 7,014.01 km | −23.14 km | 0.0404° | |
| Left | confirmed | 2026-06-13 09:58:13 | 2026-06-13 11:06:29 | 4,316.61 km | 7,258.68 km | −23.06 km | 0.0273° | |
| Same height | raised | 2026-06-13 22:59:45 | 2026-06-14 05:02:57 | 0.86 km | 5.77 km | +0.04 km | 0.0004° |
Δa is the semi-major axis of the one that moved less the other’s; θ is the angle between the two orbits’ planes. A day later is where the set puts the two 24 hours on, with no further manoeuvre. An exclusion tag on any verdict would keep the pair off the list.