What is happening in Earth orbit: launches (suborbital flights too), satellites and constellations, debris and close approaches, and The Orbinauts Post every Monday. Written from the sources, with our own tracking where it has something to say.
Debris and close approaches
Four new pieces in its orbit confirm that the 1981 satellite broke up on 5 October; LeoLabs estimated tens of fragments, so more may follow.
See them on the live map· 3 min read
Counted 4:17 PM UTC
32,900 objects in orbit
Satellites, rocket bodies and debris
Debris and close approaches
Otter is lost before a single inspection for NASA; Starfish and NASA are looking at other Otter missions to do the job.
Track Otter 24C on the live map· 3 min read
Debris and close approaches
The US Space Force puts the re-entry at 12:39 UTC on 4 November, over North Sumatra in Indonesia. NASA says some parts may have survived.
· 2 min read
Launches
The charges built to destroy the rocket if a flight goes wrong did their job, PLD says, giving it the evidence it needs for a major regulatory approval.
· 4 min read
Satellites and constellations
ESA's FLEX and Sentinel-3A now see the same ground seconds apart. Orbit records show the pair in tandem since 28 October; ESA has yet to announce it.
See them on the live map· 5 min read
The Orbinauts Post
NASA's Swift observatory is due to re-enter on Wednesday, and two astronauts fit the space station's last new solar array on Thursday.
Track the ISS on the live map· 1 min read
Expected re-entry dueStarlink-2298Due, not yet confirmed · Satellite · window ended Nov 5, 3:53 AM UTCExpected re-entry dueStarlink-1338Due, not yet confirmed · Satellite · window ended Nov 7, 12:51 PM UTCExpected re-entry dueStarlink-4607Due, not yet confirmed · Satellite · window ended 5:19 AM UTC
Close approach 4:59 PM UTCA fragment of Fengyun 1C and a fragment of CZ-6A1 in 5,000 risk · 69 m apart
Close approach 6:23 PM UTCThe rocket body of Titan 34B and the rocket body of YZ-13.3 km apartClose approach 6:32 PM UTCA fragment of THOR Ablestar and a fragment of SL-161 in 5,000 risk · 249 m apartClose approach 7:46 PM UTCA fragment of Fengyun 1C and a fragment of Fengyun 1C1 in 4,000 risk · 152 m apart
Launch around 8:25 PM UTCLong March 12 · SatNet LEO Group TBD?Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China
Close approach 9:58 PM UTCSecor 3 and a fragment of Thorad Agena D1 in 8,000 risk · 39 m apartClose approach 10:06 PM UTCThe rocket body of SL-8 and Cosmos 1867 Coolant1 in 6,000 risk · 97 m apartClose approach 5:28 AM UTCA fragment of Thorad Delta 1 and a fragment of SL-81 in 4,000 risk · 88 m apartClose approach 5:42 AM UTCA fragment of THOR Ablestar and a fragment of Fengyun 1C1 in 8,000 risk · 300 m apartClose approach 6:01 AM UTCCosmos 1992 and a fragment of Fengyun 1C1 in 5,000 risk · 838 m apartClose approach 7:55 AM UTCMeteor 1-14 and a fragment of CZ-6A1 in 400 risk · 149 m apartClose approach 8:24 AM UTCA fragment of OPS 0856 and a fragment of Ariane 44LP3.9 km apartClose approach 8:40 AM UTCSS 3 and a fragment of Delta 11 in 700 risk · 358 m apartClose approach 9:16 AM UTCFaisat and a fragment of Thorad Agena D1 in 2,000 risk · 146 m apartClose approach 10:48 AM UTCA fragment of NOAA 16 and the rocket body of PSLV1 in 9,000 risk · 809 m apartClose approach 10:59 AM UTCA fragment of Cosmos 1275 and a fragment of DMSP 5D-2 F131 in 6,000 risk · 102 m apartClose approach 2:16 PM UTCA fragment of Thorad Agena D and a fragment of Cosmos 12751 in 5,000 risk · 99 m apartExpected re-entry 2:35 PM to Tuesday 12:35 PMStarlink-5701Satellite · window in UTCClose approach 3:44 PM UTCA fragment of Fengyun 1C and an unidentified object1 in 7,000 risk · 646 m apartClose approach 4:13 PM UTCThe rocket body of SL-16 and a fragment of SL-141 in 4,000 risk · 815 m apartClose approach 5:25 PM UTCA fragment of Fengyun 1C and an unidentified object1 in 2,000 risk · 411 m apartClose approach 7:02 PM UTCA fragment of Fengyun 1C and a fragment of CZ-6A1 in 8,000 risk · 453 m apartClose approach 11:36 PM UTCIridium 24 and a fragment of Cosmos 22511 in 2,000 risk · 222 m apartClose approach 11:50 PM UTCA fragment of CZ-6A and a fragment of Meteor 1-171 in 5,000 risk · 91 m apartExpected re-entry 2:31 AM to Wednesday 8:31 AMStarlink-1274Satellite · window in UTCLaunch 3:03 AM UTCFalcon 9 · USSF-627Vandenberg SFB, CA, USAClose approach 6:46 AM UTCA fragment of Cosmos 2251 and a fragment of CZ-41 in 9,000 risk · 69 m apartClose approach 10:15 AM UTCA fragment of NOAA 16 and an unidentified object1 in 9,000 risk · 82 m apartClose approach 12:23 PM UTCFengyun 1B and a fragment of Meteor 2-171 in 700 risk · 93 m apartClose approach 2:21 PM UTCA fragment of Delta 1 and a fragment of CZ-6A1 in 4,000 risk · 248 m apartExpected re-entry 6:29 PM to Wednesday 10:29 PMStarlink-1400Satellite · window in UTCClose approach 3:40 AM UTCCosmos 1269 and a fragment of CZ-6A1 in 4,000 risk · 565 m apartLaunch around 5:00 AM UTCMir · Demo FlightSea LaunchExpected re-entry 5:49 AM to Thursday 5:49 PMStarlink-1284Satellite · window in UTCLaunch around 11:40 AM UTCLong March 2D · Payload not announcedJiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of ChinaSee allApproachesLaunchesRe-entries
Satellites and constellations
A month after launch, Google's Project Suncatcher prototype ran the Gemma 4 model in orbit and sent back a poem. Heat and radiation tests come next.
Track Project Suncatcher M1 on the live map· 4 min read
Satellites and constellations
Russian cargo ships can no longer unload through it and will have to dock twice, Russianspaceweb reports. NASA and Roscosmos have not confirmed it.
Track the ISS on the live map· 5 min read
Satellites and constellations
A viral post claims a Starlink alert held ICEYE-X36 still so Cosmos 2612 could close in. The orbit data shows a routine pass and no sign it was held back.
See them on the live map· 14 min read
Orbinauts
Add it to Claude or ChatGPT in one step, no account, and ask where the ISS is, when it passes over you, what launches next and what falls back to Earth.
· 3 min read
Debris and close approaches
Space-Track says it re-entered on 27 October. Its orbit sank slowly for decades, faster whenever the Sun was most active, and plunged in its last years.
Track Aureole 1 and Aureole 3 on the live map· 4 min read
Launches
A GSLV is to lift off from Sriharikota at 18:21 UTC on 30 October. Since March, NavIC has had only three of the four satellites it needs.
See them on the live map· 7 min read
Debris and close approaches
NASA's Swift made its last observation on 20 October and is now predicted to re-enter on 4 November.
· 7 min read
The Orbinauts Post
Aureole 2 is due to fall on Tuesday after almost 53 years, two astronauts fit a new solar array on Thursday, and India launches NVS-03 on Friday.
Track the ISS and Aureole 2 on the live map· 2 min read
Satellites and constellations
Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk are to fit the last two of eight arrays that together, NASA says, take the ISS from 160 kW of capacity to about 215 kW.
Track the ISS on the live map· 5 min read
Debris and close approaches
Indonesia's BRIN traces it to the spent Zhuque-2E rocket, whose last orbit passed near Sampit around the time residents heard a rumble on 18 October.
Track Zhuque-2E upper stage on the live map· 4 min read
Satellites and constellations
Two burns on 15 and 22 October cut Hera's speed towards Didymos to 20 m/s. Three small manoeuvres next week set up its arrival, planned for 4 November.
· 9 min read
Launches
The tenth H3 released MMX towards Mars 71 min 13 s after lift-off on 19 October, as planned, and JAXA has since confirmed the probe is healthy.
· 4 min read
Satellites and constellations
Cosmos 2612 raised its orbit by about 2.3 km on 18 October, and by 12:00 UTC on 19 October it was some 360 km behind ICEYE-X36, falling further back.
Track Cosmos 2612 and ICEYE-X36 on the live map· 8 min read
Satellites and constellations
Cosmos 2612 now shares the orbital plane of ICEYE-X36, about 5 km behind it on 18 October; LeoLabs, which tracks both, says the move appears deliberate.
Track Cosmos 2612 and ICEYE-X36 on the live map· 6 min read
