Peak Perfection: Space Mountain at Walt Disney World Celebrates 50 Years

Fifty years ago this week, Space Mountain blasted off into the next great frontier at Walt Disney World Resort, forever changing the world. Creating an experiential phenomenon never before seen, this iconic attraction’s popularity would grow to boast a mountain range of experiences found around the world from Walt Disney World Resort to Disneyland Resort, and beyond.

As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, we’re exploring how Space Mountain didn’t just peak at perfection in 1975 but continued to evolve globally for generations.

 

In five, four, three, two, one…

From One Frontier to the Next

To get to the bottom of the story, we have to start at the first mountain in a Disney park, which believe it or not, wasn’t Space Mountain! It all began in 1958 when Walt Disney first spotted the Matterhorn mountain in Switzerland. Inspired by its breathtaking landscape and lore, the often-recalled story goes , Walt sent a postcard of the famous peak back to Disney Imagineers with the words “BUILD THIS” on the back.

Imagineers went to work developing what would become the world’s first-ever tubular steel track thrill ride for Disneyland. When Matterhorn Bobsleds debuted at Disneyland in 1959, the steel track allowed for sharp turns and weaving in and out of craggy caverns — it was unlike anything guests had ever experienced.

Walt wasn’t ready to stop at just one mountain though and knew there was another frontier out there just waiting to be explored. With aspirations of building an attraction at Disneyland similar to Matterhorn Bobsleds, it was off to space! That’s when the idea for a daring interstellar voyage came along. In order to develop Disney’s first-ever fully enclosed coaster an eye-catching exterior was needed. This sort of task required a special talent and Disney Legend John Hench was the perfect Imagineer for the job.

What eventually came to be one of the most iconic exteriors at Disney parks around the world required developing a new sort of architecture. Hench came up with the design of a conical dome with exterior steel beams which represented the dispersing of energy by lifting a car to a certain height and letting it run out by gravity — it was both practical and visually appealing.

The hoped-for experience would not only feature four tracks blasting in and out, around the attraction, but it would also be bigger and more advanced than its predecessor. There was only one problem, the technology needed to execute this concept wasn’t advanced enough to build it just yet.

Imagineers knew computers would catch up and they eventually did! Following the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971, they went to work bringing to life their most elaborate attraction yet, but this time in Florida as part of a significant expansion at the newly-opened resort.

When Space Mountain opened in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World on January 15, 1975, nobody could have imagined the impact this one “mountain” would have on the world. For the first time ever at a Disney park, guests would blasted off into space on a coaster-like attraction, dipping and careening past shooting stars. Now fifty years later, Space Mountain remains a must-do on any visit to Walt Disney World and for some, it could be their first time experiencing a coaster-type attraction once they’re finally tall enough!

Bringing Space Mountain to Disneyland Resort

Imagineers hadn’t stopped thinking about bringing Space Mountain to Disneyland Park and following the success of the attraction at the Magic Kingdom, it was finally time to make Walt’s vision come to life in Anaheim!

On May 27, 1977, Space Mountain opened with a grand dedication at Disneyland Resort, including a few of its own unique touches. Rather than two tracks, similar to the Magic Kingdom version of the attraction, they developed a single track with bigger trains, ensuring just as many guests could experience the West Coast version.

 

Space Mountain Continues to Evolve

And, Imagineers have even developed limited-time versions to the fan-favorite attraction. At Disneyland Park in Anaheim, Space Mountain has seen several of different overlays through the years, including Hyperspace Mountain, which will return for Season of the Force from March 28 through May 11, 2025.

Now, as we celebrate 50 years of space at Walt Disney World Resort, guests can enjoy both Space Mountain and TRON Lightcycle / Run presented by Enterprise® in Tomorrowland. Not only was Space Mountain an evolution, but it was also a revolution, encouraging generations of innovators to dream bigger than ever before. As we continue to look to the stars and the future of Disney Parks, we can’t forget that without Space Mountain, some of the coasters we love today may not have existed!

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