Director of Research, Space, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment
Director of Research, Space, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment
Richard B. Olsen is Director of Research, Space at FFI. He has a science degree in physical oceanography from the University of Oslo in 1983. His work experience includes 4 years working as an oceanographer in the Norwegian offshore sector, followed by 11 years working in Canadian research labs and aerospace industry, before joining FFI as a Senior Scientist in 1998.
At FFI, Mr. Olsen initially worked on improvement of meteorological and oceanographic services for the Royal Norwegian Navy, as well as developing space capabilities nationally and internationally. A major milestone was the launch of Norway’s first maritime surveillance satellite, AISSat-1, where FFI had the overall responsibility from concept development to on-orbit operations.
Mr. Olsen has managed FFI’s cooperation in international space capability development, with participation in EU and European Space Agency projects, Responsive Space Capability RDT&E MoU, SMART MilSpace Agreement and the NATO Science and Technology Organization. He has served on several working groups providing strategic advice on space capability development to the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff and the Norwegian Space Agency.