Spaceship Earth at EPCOT looks like it is finally wrapping up a refurbishment that has stretched across more than a year. The last mismatched panels have been swapped out, giving the second Central Florida Disney park’s most recognizable landmark a more uniform shine.
How the Project Unfolded
Walt Disney World Resort started work on the exterior of Spaceship Earth in August 2025. Crews spent the following months pulling off and replacing the silver metallic panels around Project Tomorrow, the interactive exit area connected to the iconic geodesic sphere.
By April 2026, most of the job was done. A handful of panels still looked worn and dirty compared with the new ones, so the building appeared patchy for much of the summer and fall.
The Final Panels
WDWNT reported on Wednesday, October 21, that Disney had finally replaced those weathered panels. They now match the clean, metallic look of the surrounding installations, and the Project Tomorrow building appears to be finished.
The new panels also have a gradient look that adds depth when sunlight hits them.
A Bigger Change Still Ahead
The exterior wrap-up comes two months after Walt Disney Imagineering announced at D23 Expo 2026 that it would overhaul the ride’s interior. The “next chapter” will center on the power of “human connection,” and Disney calls it “classically EPCOT, a journey through time, celebrating the progress made possible through human connection.”
This is not the first attempt at a major update. In 2019, Walt Disney World Resort announced “Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story,” a plan tied to the resort’s 50th anniversary. The COVID-19 pandemic shelved it indefinitely.
Walt Disney World Resort has not said when Spaceship Earth will close for the interior work or whether it will get a new narrator. Dame Judi Dench currently narrates the attraction.
Open to Guests
Despite the maintenance and the upcoming overhaul, Spaceship Earth remains open and operational, so guests can still take the journey through time as it is today.
Have you noticed any other ongoing maintenance work at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Let Disney Dining know in the comments.
