Rockets & Planets Removed From Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland for Refurbishment. Last year in Disneyland, Astro Orbiter was completely dismantled and removed from the Park for the ride refurbishment, but the same cannot happen here at Walt Disney World. Astro Orbiter in the Magic Kingdom sits about 130 feet in the air, above the Peoplemover and The Launching Pad making it hard to do the work out of sight of guests visiting the Park.
Quick science lesson (didn’t think I could sneak one in, did you?): An orrery is a mechanical model of the Solar System that shows the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons according to the heliocentric (Sun-centred) model. This is what Disney Imagineering added to the top of the Astro Orbiter. It doesn’t move and track the planetary movements but still looks cool.
At Magic Kingdom, the orrery planets and moons have been removed, along with the rocket ships guests ride in. A large crane is sitting behind walls in Tomorrowland that is part of the Astro Orbiter refurbishment which blocks off parts of the land around Buzz Lightyear and The Launching Pad.
The walls are from the exit of the Peoplemover, around a third of The Launching Pad on the Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. We rode the Peoplemover this morning to get a better view. You can see the images below the space the crane and walls are taking up for now. The walls themselves have signs every few sections with various sayings.
Rockets & Planets Removed From Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland for Refurbishment
From the Walt Disney World Website: Astro Orbiter will be temporarily closed for refurbishment beginning January 13, 2025, and is planned to reopen in the summer of 2025.
Astro Orbiter – Pilot a spaceship high in the sky amid a gleaming constellation of planets. Hold on tight as your retro 2-passenger spacecraft levitates high into the air, picks up speed, and begins orbiting a galaxy of planets while the sights and sounds of Tomorrowland whirl by far below.
You’re the Captain Now: Control how high you fly by pulling or pushing the lever inside your ship.
Astro Orbiter along with BTMRR, Hall of Presidents, and soon the Dumbo Playground are all down for the January Refurbishment list.
