To Sustainability and Beyond - eBook Edition

Space has become infrastructure. This practical guide to environmental responsibility in the space sector shows how sustainability actually appears in licensing, operations, data systems, and governance across the full lifecycle of space systems. Published by Grokkist Press.

About the Book

As satellites have become essential infrastructure for navigation, climate monitoring, finance, and governance on Earth, sustainability can no longer be an afterthought.

To Sustainability and Beyond is a practical guide to environmental responsibility in the space sector, written for people already working inside its systems and those training to enter the sector.

The author shows how sustainability appears in licensing, operations, data systems, and institutional decision-making. Moving beyond narrow debates about orbital debris, the book explores responsibility across the full lifecycle of space systems, from design and launch to long-term operation and end-of-life. Credibility depends as much on governance as on technology.

Grounded, clear-eyed, and humane, this is a guide for those shaping the future of space who want to think straight about responsibility, scale, and consequence. The publication includes a self-assessment tool for positive sustainable development.

Available as ebook and hardback editions.

Book Specs

• Full digital edition (160 pages)
• Professionally formatted for comfortable on-screen reading
• Suitable for phones, tablets, and e-readers
• Available in standard eBook formats (EPUB / Kindle-compatible)
• PDF version included
• Author: Alan Raw
• Published 2026
• ISBN: 978-1-0670803-8-9 (ebook)

For more info visit the Publisher page.

About the Author

Alan Raw is a writer, sustainability practitioner, Green Tech CTO, and educator working at the intersection of space activity, environmental governance, and long-term systems thinking. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Hull for his contribution to sustainability and the arts, and is a Fellow of the Schumacher Institute for Sustainable Systems.

He currently serves as a Director of the Association of Sustainability Practitioners and as a Mentor to the Ascend-2-Space Mission supported by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, and co-founded the RSA Space Network, and RSA Northern Writers. He is a writer for RSA Playful Green Planet, and is RSA Fellowship Councillor for the North of England.

Alan’s professional work spans Earth observation, environmental responsibility, governance design, and public engagement. He currently serves as a Chief Technology Officer, overseeing platform architecture, verification workflows, and data integrity strategies for nature recovery and Biodiversity Net Gain, building systems that integrate Earth observation data and meet the evidential standards of regulators, developers, local authorities, and investors.

Previously, he co-founded a multi-award-winning space sector company and served as Chief Sustainability Officer and Director, as well as CEO of its environmental subsidiary focused on forest protection using Earth observation and digital verification.

Earlier in his career, Alan spent over two decades at the BBC in senior roles across production, engineering, and public communication, leading nationally recognised award-winning programmes.

Alongside his professional practice, Alan is a published author. His work explores climate adaptation, institutional responsibility, and community resilience, including both educational fiction and non-fiction. His writing brings together technical understanding and human experience, with a particular interest in how emerging technologies shape long-term

environmental outcomes.

Alan is the author of Salt & Seeds, a novel exploring community resilience and climate adaptation on the Yorkshire coast, published by Grokkist Press, and he facilitates writing and learning spaces that support reflection, ethical inquiry, and long-term thinking.