https://www.geek.com/news/2-satellites-may-narrowly-avoid-a-collision-tomorrow-night-1817410/?source

Satellites IRAS (13777) and GGSE-4 (2828) are expected to just miss each other in the night sky on Wednesday, Jan. 29. (Photo Credit: NASA)

Two old satellites are expected to narrowly sweep past each other in the night sky tomorrow night.

According to LeoLabs, a company that observes spacecraft trajectories, the two satellites—IRAS (13777), a decommissioned space telescope launched in 1983 and GGSE-4 (2828), an experimental U.S. payload launched in 1967, are predicted to have a close-call encounter on Wednesday.

2/ On Jan 29 at 23:39:35 UTC, these two objects will pass close by one another at a relative velocity of 14.7 km/s (900km directly above Pittsburgh, PA). Our latest metrics on the event show a predicted miss distance of between 15-30 meters. pic.twitter.com/Hlb1KeQ50U

— LeoLabs, Inc. (@LeoLabs_Space) January 27, 2020

Both satellites are slated to move past each other at 6:39 p.m. ET, at an altitude of approximately 559 miles above Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Due to their movement, they could come into contact within 98 feet of each other. If they have a collision, it could throw off other satellites’ trajectories.

4/ Events like this highlight the need for responsible, timely deorbiting of satellites for space sustainability moving forward. We will continue to monitor this event through the coming days and provide updates as available.

— LeoLabs, Inc. (@LeoLabs_Space) January 27, 2020

LeoLabs said the probability of a collision was near 1 out of 100, which still raises concerns from the astronomy community. The company will continue to monitor both satellites and provide updates.

“Events like this highlight the need for responsible, timely deorbiting of satellites for space sustainability moving forward,” LeoLabs wrote on Twitter. “We will continue to monitor this event through the coming days and provide updates as available.”

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