Eon Space Labs
Website:
eonspacelabs.com
Job details:
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.
· Clear 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 career@eonspacelabs.com with subject line: "Application – Optical Engineer"
Click on Apply to know more.
