The AMSAT Fox program introduced a new engineering process for AMSAT in which engineering documentation is provided at each stage of development. We are archiving all of this documentation on an on-line, backed-up, version control server. When the satellite has been completed, we will have an archive of traceable documentation. This can serve as the basis for planning and executing future satellite programs and can be updated to apply the lessons learned of what went well and what did not. AMSAT is a truly unique organization in that we are a non-profit corporation that manufactures satellites using a geographically distributed, all-volunteer engineering staff. There are no common or established guidelines to cover our situation. As such, the Fox program engineering practices are themselves a work in progress. The practices used are drawn from industry sources, especially NASA and IEEE.
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