Astro Orbiter Closes January 5 to 7 for a Three-Day Refurbishment, With Its Central Lift Reported Broken Since the 2025 Rebuild

Magic Kingdom's Astro Orbiter is listed as closed for refurbishment from Tuesday, January 5 through Thursday, January 7, 2027, and is set to reopen on Friday, January 8.

WDW News Today found the dates in the My Disney Experience app, and Blog Mickey found the same window on Disney's refurbishment calendar. Disney has not said what the work involves, and when we checked the ride's page on Disney World's website on the morning of October 31, it carried no closure notice.

Astro Orbiter at dusk before its 2025 rebuild, with Space Mountain behind it. Image: Disney

The open question: the lift

Astro Orbiter's central lift is meant to move the whole ride up and down, on top of the height each rider sets with their rocket's joystick. In October 2025, Blog Mickey reported that the lift had stopped working not long after the June reopening, and Cast Members told the outlet the ride had been operating at roughly half height. Blog Mickey says the lift still appeared to be out of order the last time it checked.

So does a three-day closure fix it? Disney hasn't said, and the two outlets that reported the dates frame it a little differently. WDW News Today says the work "will probably cover more general maintenance." Blog Mickey writes, "A three-day window is short enough that substantial work is off the table," though it adds that three days might be enough for a targeted fix. Blog Mickey also says that if the lift is part of the job, that should become clear once testing begins ahead of the January 8 reopening.

Astro Orbiter in October 2025, in a photo from Blog Mickey's report that the central lift had stopped working. Image: BlogMickey.com

A much shorter job than the 2025 rebuild

For comparison, the ride's 2025 rebuild was a full teardown. The ride closed in mid-January 2025, crews dismantled it and took down every planet, and it did not reopen until June 27, 2025, more than five months later. This time, the whole job has to fit into three days, Tuesday through Thursday.

Planning note: if Astro Orbiter is on your list for early January, aim for January 4 or earlier, or January 8 or later. Refurbishment dates can shift, so check the My Disney Experience app closer to your trip.

Riders aboard an Astro Orbiter rocket. Image: Disney

Do you think January finally brings the lift back, or is this just a routine tune-up? Tell us your guess.

Sources

• Blog Mickey, "Astro Orbiter Closing for Brief Refurbishment in January 2027" (October 30, 2026)
• Blog Mickey, "Key Ride Element Broken at Astro Orbiter Following Full Rebuild at Magic Kingdom" (October 2025)
• WDW News Today, "Astro Orbiter at Magic Kingdom Closing for Refurbishment Next Year" (October 30, 2026)
• Walt Disney World, Astro Orbiter attraction page (accessed October 31, 2026)

Image credits: Disney (dusk view and riders); BlogMickey.com (October 2025 photo).