TAMPA, Fla. — British component maker Olsen Actuators and Drives announced plans April 7 to open an office at Cape Canaveral to chase growing demand in the U.S. space industry.
The company, which has been ramping up its presence in the space sector over the past few years, specializes in electromechanical actuators that convert energy into motion and can be used for applications such as satellite deployment and thrust control.
Founder Piers Olsen said the branch would initially serve as a sales office once opened next year, but could expand to include prototype assembly and eventually manufacturing.
The company currently supplies components used in California-based ESI Motion’s rugged motor control systems, and also supported NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Satellite, which launched last year. But Olsen sees a bigger opportunity with a local presence.
He pointed to the potential for rapid growth as the North American space technology market, valued by Precedence Research analysts at over $262 billion in 2024, is forecast to grow at nearly 7.5% annually through 2034.
“Over the next five years, there are 70,000 satellites planned for launch to low Earth orbit alone,” he said, heralding “lots of new applications that will all require motion control actuators for solar array deployment and all kinds of mechanisms.”
International expansion drive
Olsen said the decision to expand to the United States follows a British government space trade mission to Florida in February, during which company executives met with industry leaders and assessed local opportunities.
He added that the company also recently acquired a part of ALT Roller Screws, a French producer of roller screws that are a key component of Olsen’s actuators, to become more vertically integrated. These screws are lighter than traditional ball screws and better suited for space, he said, enabling “about five times more load capacity for the same mass.”
Established in 2004, Olsen employs 25 people and also provides components for other aerospace and defense applications, including electric aircraft and drones.
The decision to open a U.S. branch comes amid a wave of international expansion in the space industry, with other companies also targeting the Cape as a strategic hub. Olsen noted that the proximity to major space industry players also based at the site offers significant networking opportunities and potential partnerships.
British in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing startup Space Forge also recently opened an office on Florida’s Space Coast, near the Kennedy Space Center, to leverage the region’s infrastructure and skilled workforce.
