This European Standard defines the quality assurance (QA) requirements for the operation, maintenance, management and configuration control of test centres for space applications. It also defines the requirements for the treatment of test specimens and the development of test facilities. This European Standard applies to test centres as self-standing organizations, or those belonging to a parent organization. Separate procedures are not required in the latter case if activities are controlled by the implementation of parent organization procedures. When viewed in a specific project context, the requirements defined in this European Standard should be tailored to match the genuine requirements of a particular profile and circumstances of a project.