The State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science was approved to be built in 2003 by the Ministry of Science and Technology. It is jointly established by the Institute of Remote Sensing Applications, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing Normal University. Dr. Gong Peng serves as its director while Academician Xu Guanhua serves as the Chairman of the Academic Committee.

The lab focuses on three research directions including (1) remote sensing theory, (2) innovative technologies in remote sensing, and (3) theory and application of geospatial techniques. Current research activities are categorized in six areas: (1) the mechanism of remote sensing imaging, (2) hyperspectral remote sensing, (3) microwave remote sensing, (4) multi-angle remote sensing, (5) global change, and (6) integrated geospatial technology.

Researchers in the lab have made some significant contributions to such fields of geometric-optical radiative transfer theory, information retrieval from multi-source remotely sensed data, contextual image classification, biophysical and biochemical data parameter estimation, and application of remote sensing in a wide area of fields including urban studies, agricultural yield estimation, mining, environmental monitoring, and flood control.

Building a strong research team with international reputation and educating new generations of remote sensing scientists are the primary goal of the lab. It welcomes wide collaboration among researchers from all over the world.