Russia and Tajikistan have agreed to transfer a military space-tracking facility to Russian ownership, local media reported Wednesday.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov and his Tajik counterpart, Sherali Khayrulloyev in Dushanbe – Tajikistan's capital – approved documents Tuesday to transfer ownership of the Norak optical-electronic space-tracking station, an undisclosed source at the Tajik Defense Ministry told the Russian Interfax-AVN news agency.
The Norak station, in the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan, is located near the town of Nurek – or Norak in the Tajik language – about 30 miles southeast of Dushanbe.
It has been under construction since 1980 and began test service in July 2002.
The station uses high-precision optronic equipment, including an automated telescope and a high-resolution television camera designed to track objects at altitudes up to 6,200 miles (10,000 kilometers).
It is intended to detect space objects, determine their orbit and trajectory, and identify their national affiliation, Russian media reported earlier.
