To Sustainability and Beyond – Paperback Edition

Printed and shipped from the UK and Australia, with worldwide delivery. Allow 1–2 weeks for production and shipping.

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 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. Drawing on professional experience across Earth observation, regulation, and governance, Alan Raw shows how sustainability actually 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 - and why 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.

Book Specs

• Perfect-bound paperback (160 pages)
• Premium white 100gsm paper for crisp easy reading
• Gloss laminated cover
• Includes complimentary eBook copy (you will be directed to the download page immediately after checkout)
• Author: Alan Raw
• Published 2026
• ISBN: 978-1-0670803-7-2 (pbk)

For more info visit the Publisher page.

About the Author

Alan Raw is a writer, sustainability practitioner, Chief Technology Officer, 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.

He is an RSA Playful Green Planet Champion, and also the RSA Fellowship Councillor for the North of England.

Alan’s professional work spans Earth observation, environmental responsibility, governance design, and public engagement. He is currently Chief Technology Officer at NIVA, where he oversees platform architecture, verification workflows, and data integrity strategies for nature recovery and Biodiversity Net Gain, with a focus on building systems that incorporate Earth observation data, and are credible to 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.