A 50-year-old Walt Disney World Resort ride has been shut down due to an extreme malfunction, leaving guests in the park wondering what went wrong. Astro Orbiter, which recently underwent a six-month refurbishment, has now faced a days-long shutdown after its grand reopening last month.
Originally known as Star Jets, the Astro Orbiter first debuted at Walt Disney World Resort in November 1974. Over the years, this spinning ride has seen iterations in Disney parks around the world, though Tokyo Disneyland’s version has since been closed. Other locations still feature variations of the attraction, such as Jet Packs at Shanghai Disneyland, Orbitron at Hong Kong Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, and Astro Orbiter at Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom Park.
In January, Astro Orbiter began one of the most unusual refurbishments in Walt Disney World Resort history. A crane surrounded by construction walls was placed in Tomorrowland, and crews disassembled the ride piece by piece to refurbish it offsite. Guests visiting Magic Kingdom for the first time would have had no idea that this attraction, which once towered above the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover loading platform, existed. After months of work, the crane returned to help crews rebuild the refurbished Astro Orbiter, and the ride officially reopened on June 27.
However, just a few weeks later, on the afternoon of July 13, the ride suddenly shut down once again. Temporary ride closures are nothing new at the Disney parks, typically due to weather conditions, guest behavior, or technical issues. Yet, unlike typical brief interruptions, the Astro Orbiter remained closed well into the evening and did not reopen on July 14. By July 15, the ride was still listed as “temporarily closed” on the My Disney Experience app.
Guests quickly took to social media to share their thoughts on the situation, with many questioning the success of the six-month refurbishment. On July 14, X (formerly known as Twitter) user @BeastCoasters posted:
I don't think Astro Orbiter opened at all today so I guess the refurb ended a bit too soon 🤷♂️.
I don't think Astro Orbiter opened at all today so I guess the refurb ended a bit too soon 🤷♂️
— BeastCoasters (@BeastCoasters) July 14, 2025
@TheSportsZu posted about the closure on the same day:
Astro Orbiter and Space Mountain down right now is not helpful!
Astro Orbiter and Space Mountain down right now is not helpful!
— SportsZu (@TheSportsZu) July 14, 2025
As of this article’s publication on Tuesday evening, Walt Disney World Resort has not released a public statement regarding the days-long shutdown of the Astro Orbiter. The Disney Park ride remains closed with no explanation for what (if anything) went wrong following its major refurbishment.
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