Final Orbit

An edge-of-your-seat thriller about China’s secret role in the space race–written by Chris Hadfield, New York Times bestselling author and one of the most experienced astronauts alive.

Houston, 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 as NASA Flight Controller Kaz Zemeckis listens in from Earth, a deadly accident onboard the orbiting spacecraft changes everything.

Meanwhile, from a remote location in east Asia, the first Chinese spacecraft secretly launches. On board is China’s first astronaut, Fang Guojun, whose mission puts him on a collision course with the Apollo crew.

As Kaz races against an enemy on the ground and for answers beyond the sky, the safety of the remaining crew hangs in the balance…

Filled with shocking twists and real history–including the fascinating story of Professor Tsien Hsue-shen, the “Father of Chinese Rocketry” and founder of China’s space program–Final Orbit accelerates to a thrilling conclusion that captures the beauty and terror of survival 270 miles above Earth, as could only be written by one of the world’s most experienced astronauts.

Author: Chris Hadfield
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Published: 10/07/2025
Series: The Apollo Murders
Pages: 416
ISBN: 9780316581684
Language: English