It involves in design and development of optics and sensor modules that can be deployed either onboard satellite or with the launch vehicle.

The laboratory has developed sensors for tracking Earth and Stars for the satellites which were launched when the space research was ushering in India.

Satellites like Aryabata, Bhaskara, Apple, IRS, SROSS and INSAT-2 have been equipped with the sensors developed by this laboratory.

[1] The lab has also participated in the India's first Moon mission Chandrayaan-1.

[2][3] They have an instrument in ISRO's mission to Sun, Aditya-L1 designed to measure the magnetic fields around Lagrangian points.