Russia's Okno (Window) space-monitoring complex, located at an altitude of 2,200 meters (about 7,200 feet) in the mountains near the Tajik eastern city of Nurek, was commissioned in March 2004. It is a unique space-monitoring installation capable of tracking space objects orbiting the Earth at altitudes 2,000-40,000 kilometers (1,300-25,000 miles).
"We are planning to expand its detection range [of the complex], and improve its tracking precision and servicing period through the modernization of its electronic equipment," Colonel Alexander Redin said.
The Okno system is fully automated. It performs autonomous monitoring sessions at night in real time, constantly processing information about detected space objects. Detection is passive, based on reflection of the sun's rays from the surface of space objects, which allows it to consume a small amount of energy.
"The role of the center is particularly important in emergency situations, such as a loss of communication with spacecraft or a malfunction of on-board telecommunications systems," Redin said.
