Space Mountain is the name of a space-themed indoor roller coaster attraction located at all five Magic Kingdom-style Disney Parks. Although all five versions of the attraction are different in nature, all have a similar domed exterior façade that is a landmark for the respective park. The first Space Mountain ride opened in 1975 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, and similar attractions were then eventually built at the other Disney parks.
Timeline:
- 1964: Walt Disney originally planned a roller coaster for Disneyland called Space Port, which would have featured four separate tracks. However, the plan was shelved due to limited space and the death of Walt Disney.
- 1973: The Imagineers return to the idea of Space Port and it later became Space Mountain for the new Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
- Early 1974: Construction begins on the ride.
- January 15, 1975: Space Mountain officially opens at the Magic Kingdom.
- Late 1975: After the success of the first Space Mountain, construction begins on the ride for Disneyland.
- May 27, 1977: Space Mountain officially opens at Disneyland along with a space stage, a space restaurant, and the Starcade.
- April 15, 1983: Space Mountain officially opens at Tokyo Disneyland, and is the first version to open when the park did.
- 1989: New trains are introduced in the Magic Kingdom.
- June 1, 1995: Space Mountain officially opens at Disneyland Paris. It is significantly different from the other versions as it is the only one to feature a launch and inversions.
- April 10, 2003: Disney announces that Space Mountain at Disneyland would close for a 2-year refurbishment which includes new trains, a new track replacement, and a new soundtrack by film composer, Michael Giacchino. It was expected to open by Disneyland's 50th Anniversary.
- September 2004: Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris closes to be changed to Space Mountain: Mission 2.
- 2005: Space Mountain: Mission 2 reopens at Disneyland Paris.
- July 15, 2005: Space Mountain reopens at Disneyland.
- September 12, 2005: Space Mountain officially opens at Hong Kong Disneyland along with the park.
- Late 2006: Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland closes for refurbishment.
- April 28, 2007: Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland reopens.
- September 24, 2007: The seasonal Halloween-themed Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy opens at Hong Kong
Disneyland.
- October 2007: Space Mountain: Nightmare Nebula opens at Disneyland as part of Halloween-Time. It was considered a failure and never returned for the Halloween season.
- April 19, 2009: Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom closes for an extensive refurbishment.
- September 25, 2009: Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy opens at Disneyland for the Halloween season.
- November 21, 2009: Space Mountain reopens at Magic Kingdom
- August 2010: Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom receives "Starry-O-Phonic" sound.
- January 11, 2015: Space Mountain: Mission 2 cmajor refurbishment. It is expected to reopen on July 24, 2015 with the name being changed to "Space Mountain". The ride is also rumored to receive new trains as part of the 2nd phase of the refurbishment in 2017.
- January 15, 2015: Space Mountain celebrates its 40th anniversary at the Magic Kingdom.
- July 24, 2015: Space Mountain reopens at Disneyland Paris after a few days of soft opening. The refurbishment included a huge technical overhaul to have everything ready for the next refurbishment. The name hasn't changed and still no new trains.
- August 2015: At the D23 Expo, Hyperspace Mountain is announced as part of the Season of the Force celebration at Disneyland. The overlay will put riders into the Star Wars universe in X-Wing battles
- November 16, 2015: Hyperspace Mountain, the overlay at Disneyland based on Star Wars, opens as a part of the Season of the Force celebration.
- Early 2017: New trains for Space Mountain: Mission 2 in Paris
(
Wikipedia)
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