The end of the Astro Orbiter refurbishment at Magic Kingdom Park is finally in sight. During this unique months-long maintenance period, the entire ride structure disappeared from Tomorrowland, making it appear that an attraction had never been there at all.
The Astro Orbiter closed in January. The attraction, which sits on top of the PeopleMover loading platform, is so tall that guests couldn’t see much of the work being done. However, Disney Parks fans quickly took notice when construction walls appeared on the ground in Tomorrowland, surrounding a giant crane.
Within weeks of closing, the Astro Orbiter had been completely dismantled and removed from Magic Kingdom Park. The crane disappeared, taking the on-the-ground construction walls with it. This has been one of Walt Disney World Resort‘s most unique attraction refurbishments, as most ride maintenance occurs onsite. With both mechanical and decorative structures removed, first-time Walt Disney World Resort visitors would have no idea that the Astro Orbiter ever existed.
After months of offsite refurbishment, the Astro Orbiter appears to be finally on its way back to the Magic Kingdom. On Monday, WDWNT reported that the construction walls returned to Tomorrowland, once again surrounding a large crane. This comes weeks after Walt Disney Imagineering filed a construction permit for work in the area.
Most of the work on Astro Orbiter has been done overnight when guests aren’t in Magic Kingdom Park. Guests haven’t spotted the crane in motion, and the Astro Orbiter doesn’t seem to have been reinstalled just yet. The attraction isn’t expected to be significantly different when it reopens.
Walt Disney World Resort says the Astro Orbiter attraction will reopen sometime in the summer of 2025, but hasn’t provided an exact opening date. Its neighbor, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, will close for major modernization in August, suggesting that the Tomorrowland attraction should reopen sometime before then. Walt Disney World Resort avoids closing adjacent rides simultaneously whenever possible.
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