diff --git a/SAS/TMSS/backend/services/copy_service/copy_service.py b/SAS/TMSS/backend/services/copy_service/copy_service.py
index 4e8754fb7c7a4b5d43321fe22e72ac79c6e42cf7..5819024ff51605784e99e9288d5c0f5f3df84449 100755
--- a/SAS/TMSS/backend/services/copy_service/copy_service.py
+++ b/SAS/TMSS/backend/services/copy_service/copy_service.py
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ from lofar.sas.tmss.client.tmssbuslistener import *
 from lofar.sas.tmss.client.tmss_http_rest_client import TMSSsession
 from subprocess import call
 from lofar.common.cep4_utils import *
-
+from lofar.common.subprocess_utils import check_output_returning_strings
 
 class TMSSCopyServiceEventMessageHandler(TMSSEventMessageHandler):
     '''
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ class TMSSCopyServiceEventMessageHandler(TMSSEventMessageHandler):
     def __init__(self, tmss_client_credentials_id: str="TMSSClient"):
         super().__init__()
         self.tmss_client = TMSSsession.create_from_dbcreds_for_ldap(tmss_client_credentials_id)
+        self._last_df_check_timestamp = datetime.min
 
     def start_handling(self):
         self.tmss_client.open()
@@ -42,6 +43,13 @@ class TMSSCopyServiceEventMessageHandler(TMSSEventMessageHandler):
     def stop_handling(self):
         self.tmss_client.close()
 
+    def before_receive_message(self):
+        # use 1-sec event loop to poll queued subtasks (rate limited at 30sec)
+        super().before_receive_message()
+        if datetime.utcnow() - self._last_df_check_timestamp > timedelta(seconds=30):
+            self._last_df_check_timestamp = datetime.utcnow()
+            self.check_and_run_queued_copy_subtask_if_enough_disk_space()
+
     def onSubTaskStatusChanged(self, id: int, status:str):
         if status in ('scheduled', 'queued'):
             subtask = self.tmss_client.get_subtask(id)
@@ -49,11 +57,10 @@ class TMSSCopyServiceEventMessageHandler(TMSSEventMessageHandler):
                 if status == 'scheduled':
                     self.queue_copy_subtask(subtask)
                 elif status == 'queued':
-                    self.run_copy_subtask(subtask)
+                    self.run_copy_subtask_if_enough_disk_space(subtask)
             else:
                 logger.info("skipping subtask id=%s status=%s type=%s", subtask['id'], subtask['state_value'], subtask['subtask_type'])
 
-
     def queue_copy_subtask(self, subtask):
         if subtask['subtask_type'] != 'copy':
             return
@@ -62,6 +69,52 @@ class TMSSCopyServiceEventMessageHandler(TMSSEventMessageHandler):
         self.tmss_client.set_subtask_status(subtask['id'], 'queueing')
         self.tmss_client.set_subtask_status(subtask['id'], 'queued')
 
+    def check_and_run_queued_copy_subtask_if_enough_disk_space(self):
+        subtasks = self.tmss_client.get_subtasks(subtask_type='copy', state='queued')
+        for subtask in subtasks:
+            self.run_copy_subtask_if_enough_disk_space(subtask)
+
+    def run_copy_subtask_if_enough_disk_space(self, subtask):
+        if subtask['subtask_type'] != 'copy':
+            return
+        if subtask['state_value'] != 'queued':
+            return
+
+        # determine destination host and root_dir
+        destination = subtask['specifications_doc']['destination']
+        dst_host = destination[:destination.find(':')] if ':' in destination else ''
+        dst_root_dir = '/'+destination.lstrip(dst_host + ':').split('/')[1]
+        # strip unneeded localhost to prevent unneeded ssh calls
+        dst_host = dst_host.lstrip('localhost:').lstrip('127.0.0.1:')
+
+        df_cmd = ['df', dst_root_dir]
+        if dst_host:
+            df_cmd = wrap_command_in_ssh_call(df_cmd, dst_host)
+
+        logger.info("checking free disk space for copy-subtask id=%s, executing: %s", subtask['id'], ' '.join(df_cmd))
+
+        # run df cmd, and parse output for total free disk space
+        df_result = check_output_returning_strings(df_cmd)
+        df_result_line = df_result.splitlines()[-1]
+        df_result_line_parts = df_result_line.split(' ')
+        df_bytes = int(df_result_line_parts[3])
+        input_dp_sizes = self.tmss_client.get_url_as_json_object(subtask['url'].rstrip('/')+'/input_dataproducts?fields=size')
+        total_size = sum(x['size'] for x in input_dp_sizes)
+
+        if df_bytes > total_size:
+            logger.info("enough free disk space available for copy-subtask id=%s destination=%s df=%d needed=%d", subtask['id'], destination, df_bytes, total_size)
+
+            # clear previously set "not enough free disk space available" error_reason if set
+            if subtask.get('error_reason'):
+                self.tmss_client.do_request_and_get_result_as_string('PATCH', subtask['url'], {'error_reason': None})
+
+            # run it
+            self.run_copy_subtask(subtask)
+        else:
+            msg = "not enough free disk space available to start copy-subtask id=%s df=%d needed=%d" % (subtask['id'], df_bytes, total_size)
+            logger.info(msg)
+            self.tmss_client.do_request_and_get_result_as_string('PATCH', subtask['url'], {'error_reason': msg})
+
 
     def run_copy_subtask(self, subtask):
         if subtask['subtask_type'] != 'copy':
@@ -79,6 +132,7 @@ class TMSSCopyServiceEventMessageHandler(TMSSEventMessageHandler):
             # cache to reduce (ssh) mkdir calls. Only create parent dirs once.
             _created_dir_cache = set()
 
+            # ToDo: maybe parallelize this? Are multiple parallel rsync's faster?
             for input_dataproduct in self.tmss_client.get_subtask_input_dataproducts(subtask['id']):
                 # fetch producing subtask id and cluster name for cache if needed
                 if input_dataproduct['producer'] not in _cache:
@@ -109,12 +163,12 @@ class TMSSCopyServiceEventMessageHandler(TMSSEventMessageHandler):
                     if dst_host:
                         mkdir_cmd = wrap_command_in_ssh_call(mkdir_cmd, dst_host)
 
-                    logger.info("creating parent destination dir if needed for copy subtask id=%s, executing: %s",subtask['id'], ' '.join(mkdir_cmd))
+                    logger.info("creating parent destination dir if needed for copy-subtask id=%s, executing: %s",subtask['id'], ' '.join(mkdir_cmd))
 
                     if call(mkdir_cmd) == 0:
                         _created_dir_cache.add(dst_parent_dir_path)
                     else:
-                        msg = "could not create parent destination dir '%s' for copy subtask id=%s" % (dst_parent_dir_path,  subtask['id'])
+                        msg = "could not create parent destination dir '%s' for copy-subtask id=%s" % (dst_parent_dir_path,  subtask['id'])
                         logger.error(msg)
                         self.tmss_client.set_subtask_status(subtask['id'], 'error', error_reason=msg)
                         return
@@ -127,12 +181,12 @@ class TMSSCopyServiceEventMessageHandler(TMSSEventMessageHandler):
                 if cluster_name.lower() == 'cep4':
                     cmd = wrap_command_in_cep4_available_node_with_lowest_load_ssh_call(cmd, via_head=True)
 
-                logger.info("copying dataproduct id=%s for copy subtask id=%s, executing: %s", input_dataproduct['id'], subtask['id'],  ' '.join(cmd))
+                logger.info("copying dataproduct id=%s for copy-subtask id=%s, executing: %s", input_dataproduct['id'], subtask['id'],  ' '.join(cmd))
 
                 if call(cmd) == 0:
-                    logger.info("copied dataproduct id=%s for copy subtask id=%s to '%s'", input_dataproduct['id'], subtask['id'], dst_parent_dir_path)
+                    logger.info("copied dataproduct id=%s for copy-subtask id=%s to '%s'", input_dataproduct['id'], subtask['id'], dst_parent_dir_path)
                 else:
-                    msg = "could not copy dataproduct id=%s for copy subtask id=%s to '%s'" % (input_dataproduct['id'], subtask['id'], dst_parent_dir_path)
+                    msg = "could not copy dataproduct id=%s for copy-subtask id=%s to '%s'" % (input_dataproduct['id'], subtask['id'], dst_parent_dir_path)
                     logger.error(msg)
                     self.tmss_client.set_subtask_status(subtask['id'], 'error', error_reason=msg)
                     return