Orbital

Published in 2023, Orbital is a literary novel by British author Samantha Harvey. The novel spans 24 hours in the lives of six astronauts and cosmonauts onboard the International Space Station. Harvey uses their thoughts and experiences to frame discussions on climate change, humanity’s place in the universe, and the inevitable end of all material reality.

Harvey drew inspiration from a live stream of the International Space Station, which she watched continuously to inform her writing about life in space. Her immersive style that centers interior experience and philosophical implication allows her to talk about the Earth and space in ways that haven’t been covered in astronaut journals before. Orbital won the prestigious Booker Prize in 2024, as well as the Hawthornden Prize. The novel likewise appeared on the shortlists of the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize and the Orwell Prize in the same year.

This guide refers to the first paperback edition published by Grove Press in 2024.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss the death of a loved one and mention the Challenger explosion and the bombing of Nagasaki.

Plot Summary

The novel is framed as one day in the lives of the present crew on the International Space Station.