Wikipedia
Nurek (; ) is a city in the Khatlon province of Tajikistan. It is situated on the Vakhsh River, 885 m above sea level, and is 70 km southeast of Dushanbe, the capital. It has a population of 18,950 (2008 estimate).
The city was founded in 1960 alongside the construction of Nurek Dam, which was completed in 1980.
The city also has a military area housing personnel working at the nearby optical satellite tracking facility, the Okno ("Window") complex, belonging to the Russian Space Forces. The Okno is capable of tracking objects from Earth, the space forces said in a statement carried by the Interfax-Military News Agency when it was put on duty in 2002. The facility involves telescope-like equipment housed in several large spheres, similar to the U.S. GEODSS system.