Transcending Borders: Humanity, Earth, and the Cosmos in Samantha Harvey's Orbital

Samantha Harvey’s Orbital (2023) follows six astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station as they complete sixteen orbits of Earth over a single day. Rather than relying on dramatic plot twists, the novel develops its philosophical and environmental concerns through observation, routine, memory, and reflection. From orbit, the planet appears as an interconnected whole: national borders become difficult to discern, weather systems move across political divisions, and the thin atmosphere reveals the fragility of life. This paper examines Orbital through the concepts of the Overview Effect, environmental consciousness, global interconnectedness, existential reflection, and the relationship between distance and belonging. It argues that Harvey transforms the space station into a vantage point from which humanity can reconsider political divisions and ecological responsibilities. The astronauts’ distance from Earth intensifies their attachment to home, while the novel’s attention to sunlight, darkness, oceans, clouds, and storms makes the planet both visually beautiful and materially vulnerable. Its restrained narrative form invites readers to pause and observe rather than seek conventional suspense. Ultimately, Orbital suggests that the cosmic perspective does not make human life insignificant; instead, it makes the planet and its inhabitants more precious. By presenting Earth as a shared home rather than a collection of separate territories, Harvey connects literary reflection with an ethical call for environmental care and human solidarity.