Magic Kingdom's Astro Orbiter Refurbishment Kicks Off with Extensive Work Planned

9 days ago in "Astro Orbiter"

Astro Orbiter refurbishment - January 15, 2025
Posted: Wednesday January 15, 2025 11:10am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The refurbishment of Astro Orbiter at Magic Kingdom is officially underway this week, with a large crane now positioned in Tomorrowland to assist with the project.

The attraction, which closed on January 13, 2025, is expected to remain out of service through summer 2025. The presence of heavy equipment and the extended timeline suggest this will be a significant refurbishment—possibly a near-rebuild of the attraction.


Astro Orbiter, known for its elevated spinning rockets and panoramic views of the park, underwent a similar extensive refurbishment in 2014, which included structural updates, a new color scheme, and enhanced lighting effects. Given the current setup, it appears Disney may be following a similar approach to modernize and refresh the attraction.

What To Expect During the Refurbishment

  • Cranes and Construction Walls: A large crane is now visible in Tomorrowland, and construction walls extend into the area of Tomorrowland near Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.
  • PeopleMover Impact: The Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, which passes underneath the Astro Orbiter platform, remains operational but may offer views of ongoing work.
  • Extended Closure: With the refurbishment set to last several months, this project likely involves mechanical upgrades, structural work, and possible aesthetic improvements.

Disney has not yet provided specifics about the scope of the work or any potential new features.

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    griffin ferrari3 hours ago

    A few more

    griffin ferrari3 hours ago

    From this morning

    wdwmagic3 days ago

    Here is one from Aug 2024

    Brian3 days ago

    Yes, I believe most recently with the Plaza Restaurant facade refurbishment.

    danlb_20003 days ago

    Do they even do the printed scrims in WDW anymore?

    bmr15913 days ago

    For a second, I thought you'd let loose your inner Latino.

    plutofan154 days ago

    Now your talkin’!

    Raineman4 days ago

    Just replicate the Green Monster from Fenway Park and place it around the crane. That should do the trick.

    peter114355 days ago

    Correct. The crane will not be there for the entire duration of the work. Walls and scrims have never been intended to block all views of construction equipment.

    plutofan155 days ago

    Pretty sure that this crane will not be there during the entirety of the rehab. And, in my opinion, 15' walls extending towards the base of the Peoplemover would be obtrusive no matter how themed they may be.

    Brian5 days ago

    The purpose of the scrim, presumably printed, is to cover the construction elements as best they can, in this example, scaffolding. They've done this several times at Disneyland in recent years. I applaud efforts like that. It isn't perfect, but obviously in a year round operation, things must be refurbished while in guest view. Your comparison is a rather poor one, because to compare it to the Astro Orbiter crane and its walls would be to imagine that they only covered the lower half of the castle in scrims and left the top half with just bare scaffolding.

    Brian5 days ago

    In a vacuum, it's not. Nobody's vacation will be ruined by seeing the crane, some might not even notice. But ultimately, it is the attention to detail, including the things that only 1:10,000 guests will even notice, that made Disney theme parks what they are. That's a large part of what 'Show' means at a Disney park, and it's examples like this that illustrate the lack of emphasis on 'Show' in recent years. Without Show, Magic Kingdom is no better than Six Flags. Of course, that's not to say that because the crane is visible from the ground in Tomorrowland for a few months, Disney is no better than Six Flags. What I'm trying to highlight is that the "It's not that serious" sentiment, which is increasingly permeating management, leads to more and more examples of this, including permanent ones, that may eventually lead Disney parks being no better than Six Flags.

    JD805 days ago

    Better, kills less trees.