Orbital is the only Booker Prize-winning novel set entirely in outer space.
Written by Samantha Harvey, Orbital follows six astronauts aboard the International Space Station over roughly 24 hours. Rather than using space mainly as a backdrop for adventure, the novel observes the crew’s routines, relationships and reflections while they orbit Earth.
The novel won the 2024 Booker Prize and became the first novel set in space to receive the award. Its compact form is notable too: at about 136 pages, it is among the shortest Booker-winning novels. Harvey developed the book partly from watching continuous video of Earth from the International Space Station.
The wording can invite confusion with science-fiction novels such as The Martian or A Fall of Moondust. Those books involve space travel, but neither won the Booker Prize. Orbital is also more literary and philosophical than a conventional space thriller, focusing on perception, isolation and humanity’s relationship with Earth.