About EON Space Labs

EON Space Labs is a Hyderabad-based defence-technology company building indigenous EO/IR optical payloads for space, aerial and ground platforms – from miniaturised telescopes and star trackers for satellites, to EO/IR gimbals for UAVs, to long-range ground surveillance systems.

Objective

Own the optical bench. You will take our payloads from loose optics to aligned, characterised, flight- and field-ready hardware – setting up the test methods, running them, and writing the procedures that make the results repeatable.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

A. Optical Alignment & Assembly

· Align and integrate reflective, refractive and catadioptric optical systems (e.g., Cassegrain / Ritchey–Chrétien telescopes, multi-element VIS and LWIR lenses) to specified wavefront and focus tolerances.

· Focus and boresight detectors to optics; set and verify back-focal distance, tilt and decentre; align EO and IR channels to a common line of sight.

· Work with mechanical engineers on mounts, shims, adhesives and bonding processes that hold alignment through vibration and temperature change.

B. Test & Characterisation

· Measure MTF (slanted-edge, knife-edge or bar targets on a collimator), effective focal length, distortion, field of view, stray light and relative illumination.

· For IR cameras: measure NETD, MTF and MRTD using blackbody sources; perform non-uniformity correction (NUC) checks.

· Support environmental and qualification testing – thermal cycling, thermal-vacuum, vibration – including pre/post optical performance checks.

C. Lab Ownership

· Set up and maintain the optical lab: collimators, autocollimators,



interferometer, optical tables, blackbodies, laser sources and measurement instruments.

· Maintain cleanroom (ISO-classified area) and ESD discipline, optics handling and cleaning practice, and laser safety per IEC 60825-1.

· Automate repetitive measurements and data reduction in Python or MATLAB.

D. Documentation & Cross-Functional Work

· Write test procedures, SOPs, test reports and alignment travellers; maintain traceability between design tolerances and measured results.

· Feed measured data back to optical design (Zemax OpticStudio / CODE V) to close the loop on tolerancing.

· Work with mechanical, electronics, firmware and AI/ML teams; support customer acceptance tests and trials; assist with patent drafting.

Required Skills & Qualifications

Education

B.Tech / M.Tech / M.Sc. in Optics, Photonics, Applied Physics, Optoelectronics, or Electronics/Instrumentation with a strong optics specialisation.

Must-have

· Hands-on optical alignment and testing on a real optical bench (not only simulation).

· Practical use of at least two of: collimator, autocollimator, interferometer, MTF bench, theodolite.

· Solid grounding in geometrical and physical optics – aberrations, diffraction limit, MTF, sampling (Nyquist),



radiometry basics.

· Ability to read and work to optical drawings and tolerances (ISO 10110 or equivalent).

· Python or MATLAB for data analysis.

Good to have

· Optical design or tolerancing in Zemax OpticStudio, CODE V or similar.

· MWIR/LWIR camera testing (NETD, MRTD, blackbody calibration).

· Experience with space or defence hardware – cleanroom work, contamination control, thermal-vacuum or vibration testing.

· Familiarity with image sensors (CMOS/microbolometer), focusing and boresighting cameras.

Core Competencies

· Careful, methodical bench practice – you write down what you did and the result is reproducible.

· Comfort with ownership in a small team: you will set up processes, not only follow them.

· Transparent technical writing.

Deliverables (first 6 months)

· Documented, repeatable alignment procedure for at least one EON payload telescope.

· Working MTF and wavefront test setups with written SOPs and calibrated reference measurements.

· Test reports for payload units delivered to customers during the period.

What We Offer

· Work on real flight and field hardware across space, UAV and ground platforms – from bare optics to delivered payload.

· Direct exposure to optical design, manufacturing and testing

· A founding-stage role with visible ownership of the optical lab.

To Apply

Apply via LinkedIn, or send your CV and a short note on optical systems you have personally aligned or tested to [email protected] with subject line: "Application – Optical Engineer"

📌 Optical Engineer – Payload Integration & Test (Hyderabad)
🏢 Eon Space Labs
📍 Hyderabad