Mainz – October 27, 2026 -- The Eu-BEST (European Bench for Engine and Stage Testing) project has delivered a modular, mobile rocket test bench, funded with EUR 4.96 million under the EU's Horizon Europe programme. The project closed after final acceptance of the complete test stand at the Mainz site of OHB Digital Connect.

Eu-BEST started on 1 November 2023. Representatives of the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA), French space agency CNES, German aerospace centre DLR and the project partners attended the closing.

Test bench is built to move between sites and launcher types

The interoperable stand can be deployed at different locations and for different launch systems. Development, qualification and acceptance tests drive cost, schedules and market entry of new launchers, and demand for test capacity is rising as European launcher programmes multiply and large satellite constellations need more launches.

Custom thrust system measures direction as well as force

OHB Digital Connect developed and built the mechanical structures. It also built a thrust measurement system that records thrust in real time and determines its exact direction, which goes beyond conventional systems in rocket engine test stands. According to the project, the data allows faster evaluation of results and noticeably shorter qualification and acceptance processes.

French firms led the consortium, with partners from Spain and Ireland

Eiffage Énergie Systèmes – Clemessy of France coordinated the project. SpaceDreams, also of France, led technical system design. Partners from Spain and Ireland contributed in system integration, test operations and infrastructure development.

The partners describe the stand as the basis for a new generation of standardised test infrastructure meant to ease test capacity bottlenecks for European launchers and to meet rising demand for institutional and commercial launch services.