diff --git a/SAS/TMSS/test/test_utils.py b/SAS/TMSS/test/test_utils.py
index 71e8bb8423c1d5cb9f313be1472db2ddfd7f8de1..c24b714b8f8a4d9bf56aa7dddb26047787919fbd 100644
--- a/SAS/TMSS/test/test_utils.py
+++ b/SAS/TMSS/test/test_utils.py
@@ -521,6 +521,7 @@ def main_test_environment():
     group.add_option('-w', '--websockets', dest='websockets', action='store_true', help='Enable json updates pushed via websockets')
     group.add_option('-f', '--feedbackservice', dest='feedbackservice', action='store_true', help='Enable feedbackservice to handle feedback from observations/pipelines which comes in via the (old qpid) otdb messagebus.')
     group.add_option('--all', dest='all', action='store_true', help='Enable/Start all the services, upload schemas and testdata')
+    group.add_option('--simulate', dest='simulate', action='store_true', help='Simulate a run of the first example scheduling_unit (implies --data and --eventmessages and --ra_test_environment)')
 
     group = OptionGroup(parser, 'Messaging options')
     parser.add_option_group(group)
@@ -529,6 +530,11 @@ def main_test_environment():
 
     (options, args) = parser.parse_args()
 
+    if options.simulate:
+        options.data = True
+        options.eventmessages = True
+        options.ra_test_environment = True
+
     logging.basicConfig(format = '%(asctime)s %(levelname)s %(message)s', level = logging.INFO)
 
     with TMSSTestEnvironment(host=options.host, preferred_django_port=options.port, public_host=options.public_host,
@@ -567,6 +573,15 @@ def main_test_environment():
             print()
             print("Press Ctrl-C to exit (and remove the test database and django server automatically)")
 
+            if options.simulate:
+                stop_event = threading.Event()
+                with create_scheduling_unit_blueprint_simulator(1, stop_event=stop_event,
+                                                                exchange=options.exchange, broker=options.broker):
+                    try:
+                        stop_event.wait()
+                    except KeyboardInterrupt:
+                        return
+
             waitForInterrupt()
 
 
@@ -631,6 +646,8 @@ def create_scheduling_unit_blueprint_simulator(scheduling_unit_blueprint_id: int
             if isProductionEnvironment():
                 raise RuntimeError("Do not use this tool to simulate running a scheduling_unit in a production environment!")
 
+            logger.info("starting to simulate a run for scheduling_unit id=%s ...", self.scheduling_unit_blueprint_id)
+
             super().start_handling()
 
             try: