Five Things to Know About Astro Orbiter

Astro Orbiter is a cool-looking, retro-themed spinner attraction. You’ll ride high and fast in a rocket ship, while enjoying a unique view of Tomorrowland. To learn more, read on, but if you want to blast off to the nuts and bolts, here’s your shortcut.

1. You queue up then ride up to blast off.

The queue for Astro Orbiter is right next to the queue for the PeopleMover. I wish there was more to say about it. But sadly, this queue is unlike any of the thoughtfully detailed interactive queues around Walt Disney World. Even the queue to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh has more going on!

The ground-level portion of the queue is simply a series of switchbacks and is exposed to the elements. At the end of the line, you reach two elevators that look like they were built from an Erector Set. You ride up to the covered loading station on the ride platform. But – and this may make it worth your while – once there, you can take in the view. Among other landmarks, you can see the Contemporary Resort, Cinderella Castle, and Space Mountain. (It’s worth mentioning that the whole loading/unloading process for Astro Orbiter is really slow, so you’ll have some time to enjoy the panorama.)

2. It’s high. It’s fast. It’s a spinner unlike the others.

The Astro Orbiter is a spinner attraction. This means your ride basically consists of rotating around a central anchor in your retro rocket vehicle while going up and down. It’s sort of like a merry-go-round, but not really.

The person riding in the front seat of the rocket controls the up-and-down motion by pushing or pulling a lever. If you’ve ridden the Magic Carpets of Aladdin or Dumbo spinners, you’ll find this familiar. But that’s where any comparison ends.

First, Astro Orbiter sits on top of the PeopleMover, putting it some 50 feet in the air. Using the control lever to lift your rocket ship takes you up to 80 feet (just a bit less than 8 stories). Second, Astro Orbiter is faster than the other spinners. One rotation takes about six to seven seconds, while one rotation on Dumbo takes twice that time. The height plus the speed have been known to freak out some folks who expected a slower, more gentle experience. The entire ride lasts about a minute and a half.

3. A blast through the past.

When the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, Tomorrowland didn’t have a lot going on. But when it expanded in 1974, Space Mountain, the Carousel of Progress, the WEDWay PeopleMover, and the Astro Orbiter were all added. At that point in time, Astro Orbiter was called the Star Jets.

It opened on November 28, 1974, heavily inspired by Disneyland’s version of the attraction of the same name. They both perched atop their respective PeopleMovers and served, Walt would say, as a “weenie” for the land, intended to catch the eye of guests and pull them into the area. Disney World’s Star Jets was different from Disneyland’s because the design suggested more of a space shuttle look.

As you can imagine, any time you have a space named Tomorrowland, the future has a way of catching up to you. So in 1994 Tomorrowland received an overhaul, becoming a retro-future land that showcases a vision of the future that never came to be. As a fan of all things retro-future, I love it! But, since the Star Jets didn’t add much to this new theme, they were reimagined as the Astro Orbiter with a retro, steampunk design. This new version opened in April 1994.

4. The rockets could go to the moon every year? Or maybe just to other Disney parks.

Astro Orbiter rockets revolve at a speed of 11 rotations per minute. Which means that in the course of a year, they travel around 1.2 million miles. That’s like flying from Earth to the moon and back twice. Without leaving Earth.

From 1994-2009, the narration you heard on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (PeopleMover) referred to the ride as the “League of Planets Astro Orbiter.” Other versions have appeared in Disney Parks around the world. Tokyo Disneyland had Star Jets from 1983 to 2017; Hong Kong Disneyland opened the “Orbitron” in 2005, modeling it after the same attraction in Disneyland Paris. And Shanghai Disneyland has “Jet Packs,” which opened in 2016.

5. The Nuts and Bolts.

The Astro Orbiter is located in the center of Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. As an outdoor attraction, it will shut down in inclement weather.

Each rocket seats two guests with one in front and one behind, and one fabric lap belt for both riders. Guests sit on a hard bench with their feet and legs somewhat stretched out in front of them. The person at the rear has the only backrest; the guest in front may lean back on their companion. There isn’t a whole lot of space, so if you’re riding alone, you may want to ask for your own rocket, and larger adults may be more comfortable requesting their own as well.

Guests must transfer from a wheelchair/ECV to ride.  Even though there isn’t a height requirement to ride, if you’re prone to motion sickness or have a fear of heights, you may not want to ride Astro Orbiter.

As is true for most attractions at Walt Disney World, wait times for Astro Orbiter are usually shortest first thing in the morning or right before the park closes. Astro Orbiter is open for Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Theme Park hours.

The Bottom Line.

Astro Orbiter is a nice-looking, slow-loading spinner. You go high and fast which can scare some littles and surprise some older folks (count me among them). The best thing about it is the view it offers. As such, we think it’s a ride you can skip without missing much of anything, but won’t regret riding if you choose to take the flight. Riding it at nighttime, especially, offers some pretty spectacular views.

Have you ridden the Astro Orbiter? What did you think? Let us know in the comments.