diff --git a/unittest/CMakeLists.txt b/unittest/CMakeLists.txt
index 39f3b66e..1786b71e 100644
--- a/unittest/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/unittest/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -3,6 +3,6 @@ add_subdirectory(mocks)
 
 target_sources(${UNITTEST_NAME} PRIVATE
     main.cpp
-    initTests.cpp
+    testEnvironment.cpp
     printChar.cpp
 )
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/unittest/controller/testThermalController.cpp b/unittest/controller/testThermalController.cpp
index 6d599475..a0e96d68 100644
--- a/unittest/controller/testThermalController.cpp
+++ b/unittest/controller/testThermalController.cpp
@@ -1,24 +1,20 @@
-#include <fsfw/events/EventManagerIF.h>
-#include <fsfw/health/HealthTable.h>
-#include <fsfw/housekeeping/AcceptsHkPacketsIF.h>
-#include <fsfw/internalerror/InternalErrorReporter.h>
 #include <fsfw/ipc/QueueFactory.h>
 #include <mission/controller/ThermalController.h>
 
 #include <catch2/catch_test_macros.hpp>
 
-#include "../mocks/EventManagerMock.h"
+#include "../testEnvironment.h"
 
 TEST_CASE("Thermal Controller", "[ThermalController]") {
   const object_id_t THERMAL_CONTROLLER_ID = 0x123;
 
   ThermalController controller(THERMAL_CONTROLLER_ID, objects::NO_OBJECT);
-  REQUIRE(controller.initialize() == HasReturnvaluesIF::RETURN_OK);
+
+  testEnvironment::initialize();
+
   REQUIRE(controller.initializeAfterTaskCreation() == HasReturnvaluesIF::RETURN_OK);
 
-  EventManagerMock* eventmanager =
-      ObjectManager::instance()->get<EventManagerMock>(objects::EVENT_MANAGER);
-  REQUIRE(eventmanager->isEventInEventList(THERMAL_CONTROLLER_ID, HasModesIF::MODE_INFO) == false);
+  testEnvironment::eventManager->clearEventList();
 
   MessageQueueId_t controllerQueue = controller.getCommandQueue();
 
@@ -34,9 +30,9 @@ TEST_CASE("Thermal Controller", "[ThermalController]") {
 
   REQUIRE(controller.performOperation(0) == HasReturnvaluesIF::RETURN_OK);
 
-  REQUIRE(eventmanager->isEventInEventList(THERMAL_CONTROLLER_ID, HasModesIF::MODE_INFO,
-                                           ControllerBase::MODE_NORMAL,
-                                           HasModesIF::SUBMODE_NONE) == true);
+  REQUIRE(testEnvironment::eventManager->isEventInEventList(
+              THERMAL_CONTROLLER_ID, HasModesIF::MODE_INFO, ControllerBase::MODE_NORMAL,
+              HasModesIF::SUBMODE_NONE) == true);
 
   thermalControllerDefinitions::ComponentTemperatures componentTemperatures(THERMAL_CONTROLLER_ID);
 
diff --git a/unittest/initTests.cpp b/unittest/initTests.cpp
deleted file mode 100644
index 5d30bdca..00000000
--- a/unittest/initTests.cpp
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,26 +0,0 @@
-#include <fsfw/serviceinterface/ServiceInterfaceStream.h>
-
-#ifdef LINUX
-ServiceInterfaceStream sif::debug("DEBUG  ");
-ServiceInterfaceStream sif::info("INFO   ");
-ServiceInterfaceStream sif::warning("WARNING");
-ServiceInterfaceStream sif::error("ERROR  ", false, true, true);
-#else
-ServiceInterfaceStream sif::debug("DEBUG", true);
-ServiceInterfaceStream sif::info("INFO", true);
-ServiceInterfaceStream sif::warning("WARNING", true);
-ServiceInterfaceStream sif::error("ERROR", true, false, true);
-#endif
-
-#include <fsfw/ipc/CommandMessage.h>
-#include <fsfw/ipc/FwMessageTypes.h>
-
-namespace messagetypes {
-enum MESSAGE_TYPE {
-  MISSION_MESSAGE_TYPE_START = FW_MESSAGES_COUNT,
-};
-
-void clearMissionMessage(CommandMessage* message);
-}  // namespace messagetypes
-
-void messagetypes::clearMissionMessage(CommandMessage* message) {}
diff --git a/unittest/main.cpp b/unittest/main.cpp
index ca2d7420..6438577c 100644
--- a/unittest/main.cpp
+++ b/unittest/main.cpp
@@ -1,33 +1,9 @@
-#include <fsfw/events/EventManager.h>
-#include <fsfw/health/HealthTable.h>
-#include <fsfw/housekeeping/AcceptsHkPacketsIF.h>
-#include <fsfw/internalerror/InternalErrorReporter.h>
-#include <fsfw/objectmanager/ObjectManager.h>
-#include <fsfw/storagemanager/PoolManager.h>
-#include <fsfw/timemanager/TimeStamper.h>
-
 #include <catch2/catch_session.hpp>
 
-#include "mocks/EventManagerMock.h"
-#include "mocks/HouseKeepingMock.h"
-
-void factory(void* args) {
-  new HouseKeepingMock();
-  new EventManagerMock();
-  new HealthTable(objects::HEALTH_TABLE);
-  new InternalErrorReporter(objects::INTERNAL_ERROR_REPORTER);
-  new TimeStamper(objects::TIME_STAMPER);
-
-  {
-    PoolManager::LocalPoolConfig poolCfg = {{300, 16},  {200, 32}, {150, 64},  {150, 128},
-                                            {100, 256}, {50, 512}, {50, 1024}, {10, 2048}};
-    new PoolManager(objects::IPC_STORE, poolCfg);
-  }
-}
+#include "testEnvironment.h"
 
 int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
-  ObjectManager::instance()->setObjectFactoryFunction(factory, nullptr);
-  ObjectManager::instance()->initialize();
+  testEnvironment::setup();
 
   // Catch internal function call
   int result = Catch::Session().run(argc, argv);
diff --git a/unittest/testEnvironment.cpp b/unittest/testEnvironment.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e4d5bed2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/unittest/testEnvironment.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+#include "testEnvironment.h"
+
+#include <fsfw/events/EventManager.h>
+#include <fsfw/health/HealthTable.h>
+#include <fsfw/housekeeping/AcceptsHkPacketsIF.h>
+#include <fsfw/internalerror/InternalErrorReporter.h>
+#include <fsfw/objectmanager/ObjectManager.h>
+#include <fsfw/serviceinterface/ServiceInterfaceStream.h>
+#include <fsfw/storagemanager/PoolManager.h>
+#include <fsfw/timemanager/TimeStamper.h>
+
+#ifdef LINUX
+ServiceInterfaceStream sif::debug("DEBUG  ");
+ServiceInterfaceStream sif::info("INFO   ");
+ServiceInterfaceStream sif::warning("WARNING");
+ServiceInterfaceStream sif::error("ERROR  ", false, true, true);
+#else
+ServiceInterfaceStream sif::debug("DEBUG", true);
+ServiceInterfaceStream sif::info("INFO", true);
+ServiceInterfaceStream sif::warning("WARNING", true);
+ServiceInterfaceStream sif::error("ERROR", true, false, true);
+#endif
+
+namespace testEnvironment {
+
+void factory(void* args) {
+  new HouseKeepingMock();
+  eventManager = new EventManagerMock();
+  new HealthTable(objects::HEALTH_TABLE);
+  new InternalErrorReporter(objects::INTERNAL_ERROR_REPORTER);
+  new TimeStamper(objects::TIME_STAMPER);
+
+  {
+    PoolManager::LocalPoolConfig poolCfg = {{300, 16},  {200, 32}, {150, 64},  {150, 128},
+                                            {100, 256}, {50, 512}, {50, 1024}, {10, 2048}};
+    new PoolManager(objects::IPC_STORE, poolCfg);
+  }
+}
+
+void setup() { ObjectManager::instance()->setObjectFactoryFunction(factory, nullptr); }
+
+void initialize() { ObjectManager::instance()->initialize(); }
+
+}  // namespace testEnvironment
+
+EventManagerMock* testEnvironment::eventManager = nullptr;
+
+#include <fsfw/ipc/CommandMessage.h>
+#include <fsfw/ipc/FwMessageTypes.h>
+
+namespace messagetypes {
+enum MESSAGE_TYPE {
+  MISSION_MESSAGE_TYPE_START = FW_MESSAGES_COUNT,
+};
+
+void clearMissionMessage(CommandMessage* message);
+}  // namespace messagetypes
+
+void messagetypes::clearMissionMessage(CommandMessage* message) {}
diff --git a/unittest/testEnvironment.h b/unittest/testEnvironment.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..79ff8544
--- /dev/null
+++ b/unittest/testEnvironment.h
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#ifndef UNITTEST_TESTENVIRONMENT_H_
+#define UNITTEST_TESTENVIRONMENT_H_
+
+#include "mocks/EventManagerMock.h"
+#include "mocks/HouseKeepingMock.h"
+
+/*
+ * This namespace sets up a general environment for unittests
+ *
+ * Only objects generally used in all unittest are created here. Objects needed for
+ * individual tests are to be contstructed in the individual tests.
+ *
+ * The object manager can be initialized by the initialize() call
+ *
+ * It also caches pointers to generally useful objects so they do
+ * not need to be gotten from the object manager each time
+ */
+namespace testEnvironment {
+
+/*
+ * Setup code goes here, called by main() befor any tests
+ */
+void setup();
+
+/*
+ * Initializes the object manager, to be called at the start of each test, after test specific
+ * objects are constructed
+ *
+ * All objects defined in the factory method are created here
+ */
+void initialize();
+
+extern EventManagerMock* eventManager;
+}  // namespace testEnvironment
+
+#endif /*UNITTEST_TESTENVIRONMENT_H_*/
\ No newline at end of file