Final Orbit: A Novel

by Chris Hadfield

Overview

From the author of the international bestseller The Apollo Murders: an edge-of-the seat Cold War thriller, set against the backdrop of the real 1970s "Space race" between the US, USSR, and China . . .

1975. A new Apollo mission launches into orbit, on course to dock with a Russian Soyuz craft: three NASA astronauts and three cosmonauts, joining to celebrate a new dawn of Soviet-American cooperation.

But a third power is rising, in the race to dominate Space. As NASA Flight Controller Kaz Zemeckis listens in from Earth, three of the six astronauts are killed in a depressurization accident. And from a remote location in east Asia, a capsule secretly launches with China's very first astronaut aboard, purpose unknown . . .

Full of Cold War intrigue and real historical characters, Final Orbit accelerates to a thrilling conclusion – and brings to life the loneliness, majesty and pure rush of Space flight, with all of the hard-won experience of a writer who is himself one of the most decorated astronauts alive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316581684
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	10/07/2025
Series:	The Apollo Murders Series
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Colonel Chris Hadfield is one of the most seasoned and accomplished astronauts in the world. A multiple New York Times bestselling author, his books An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, You Are Here, The Darkest Dark, The Apollo Murders, and The Defector have sold over a million copies worldwide. 

As well as his time as a Cold War pilot, Hadfield is a veteran of three spaceflights. He crewed the US Space Shuttle twice, piloted the Russian Soyuz, helped build space station Mir, conducted two space walks, and served as Commander of the International Space Station. He was also NASA's Director of Operations in Russia. 

Hadfield is the co-creator and host of the BBC series Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes? and helped create and host, along with actor Will Smith, the National Geographic series One Strange Rock. His zero-gravity version of David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' has received more than 50 million views, and his TED talk on fear over 10 million. 

Based in Ontario, Canada, he advises SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and other space companies, chairs the board of the Open Lunar Foundation, leads the CDL-Space international tech incubator, and teacher a MasterClass on space operations.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Chris Hadfield's thrillers:

"Commander Hadfield takes us on an exciting journey into an alternate past. And who better to write about astronauts than an astronaut himself!"—Andy Weir, author of The Martian and Project Hail Mary

"A Cold War thriller packed with cosmic action… Featuring undercover spies, scheming Russians and psychopathic murderers, sometimes all at once, it teems with authoritative details about what it might be like, for instance, to throw up in space or to grapple with a deadly Soviet astronaut who assaults you during a spacewalk."—The New York Times

“A Cold War thriller unlike anything you have ever read! The Defector is a full throttle, adrenaline-laced espionage page-turner spiked with history and intrigue that will leave you wondering if what you just read could have really happened."—Jack Carr, author of the James Reece Terminal List series

“The Defector is an extraordinary novel that is sure to keep readers enthralled. Brimming with detail and realism and full of pulse-pounding action, it's a well-crafted thriller that I just couldn’t put down!”—Mark Greaney, author of the Gray Man series

From the Publisher