PHOTOS - Planets return to the Astro Orbitor as refurbishment continues

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Astro Orbiter refurbishment

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Posted: Monday September 8, 2014 12:00pm EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

The planets are now back atop the Astro Orbitor at the Magic Kingdom.

Although still under refurbishment, the centerpiece of Tomorrowland is looking better than ever, with the planets shining in the sun. The big question of course will be whether the planets spin once the refurbishment is complete, returning an effect that has been missing for several years.

The Astro Orbitor is set to reopen to guests on September 28 2014.

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Planets are back at the Astro Orbitor

Discuss on the Forums

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devoy1701Oct 20, 2014

I love the new paint scheme. It really brightens the place up and draws your attention. Almost makes it feel more alive. Hope they get those planets moving again soon.

modnarOct 03, 2014

Looks great! Agree it's too bad the planets are stationary, but it's good to see a classic being taken care of.

Horizons1Oct 03, 2014

This guy.

Rob562Oct 03, 2014

I thought the planets *were* frozen... ;) -Rob

Horizons1Oct 02, 2014

Guests won't notice and it's not Frozen, so no need to worry.

Macca250Oct 02, 2014

Thanks for the replies! Seems strange that they didn't fix the planets if it was just a matter of broken motors. I've seen car washes with spinning advertisements that look more complex. I'm sure the company that literally builds mountains could have fixed it if they wanted to. Unfortunately we all know a broken motor is enough for TDO to justify pulling the effect :hungover:. Not to sound all negative though, the refurb has certainly given Tomorrowland some glamour.

PhilharMagicianOct 02, 2014

Weren't they all spinning prior to refurb? Back about 2004 or 2005 the planets were refurbed and many were not spinning then. There were motor repairs and/or replacements at that time for all the planets and I thought were spinning until the recent closure. I hope this temporary.

rct247Oct 02, 2014

It was too costly to maintain the spinning planet effect because the motors are at angles and that angled motion causes them to wear out quicker. That's just what has been passed along.

BrerJonOct 02, 2014

And still working fine in Hong Kong and Paris.

Horizons1Oct 02, 2014

So...technology that was possible in 1994 isn't possible 2014. What a joke.

note2001Oct 02, 2014

Someone in this thread mentioned that the motors that are used to spin the planets work best when on the level. The way they are mounted for the planets is not level and it causes too many problems. I'm sure technology has progressed enough since the initial design was created to create a motor that would operate well under these conditions, but it seems whoever was in charge of the refurbishment either did not have the time, the funds in the budget or perhaps didn't care to work to restore their motion. We'll never know.

ABQOct 02, 2014

Sad, I was just going to quote @Macca250 and ask that I'd like to know too but was going to add, and please don't make it some smart alec like response of "duh, money of course"