It is used to monitor radio emissions from space craft and satellites, a form of electronic intelligence gathering.

They published a draft design for the system in 1989, along with other space surveillance technologies, including the Krona space object recognition station and the Laser Optical Locator.

MEI was founded as part of the Moscow Power Engineering Institute and undertakes work on antennae, telemetry and other radio and space related technologies.

[4]: 139 Moment was put into experimental combat duty on 20 March 2003, and as of 2012 has yet to be formally commissioned.

It works passively, picking up radio transmissions from spacecraft and satellites which it can use to locate them, and to discern other things about them.