In this post we give an overview of Mission: SPACE, a thrill ride at Disney’s EPCOT theme park in Walt Disney World. We cover the basics of the ride, how to ride it, and our thoughts on the experience before closing with an FAQ. Read on to learn more!
Related Posts
This post is a quick guide to Mission: SPACE, but we have related content that dives deeper into topics. Our Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lane post covers Lightning Lane strategy in deep. The Epcot Rides and Entertainment Guide gives brief introductions to all the park’s offerings. For putting together your day at the park, we have a One Day Plan for Epcot.
Mission: SPACE Basics
Mission: SPACE is a motion simulator thrill ride at Disney’s EPCOT in Walt Disney World. Probably the most notable feature of Mission: SPACE is that there are actually two rides here—Green Mission and Orange Mission. The ride vehicle and overall theme (a trip to space) is the same, but the details and experience differ, with the Orange Mission being more intense (I’ll talk more about this later).
Mission: SPACE:
has a height requirement of 40 inches / 102 cm for the Green (less intense) Mission and 42 inches / 112 cm for the Orange (more intense) mission
offers rider switch
has a Lightning Lane as part of Genie+
does not have a single rider line
is about 4 minutes long
Disney warns that persons not in good health and expectant mothers should not ride. You’ll also want to think twice if you’re prone to motion sickness or claustrophobia.
Specifically for the Orange version, Disney advises (emphasis added):
Guests who wish to experience the Orange Mission should be in good health and free of high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure. Expectant mothers should not ride either Mission.
Measured by wait times, Mission: SPACE is the fifth most popular ride in Epcot. As of this update, Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind still uses a virtual queue.) You should expect an average wait of about 30 minutes, but this will vary greatly by time of day and day of year.
Where is Mission: SPACE located?
Mission: SPACE is located in the World Discovery land at EPCOT in Disney World. Entering the park from the main entrance, World Discovery is to the left. There are two rides, Mission: SPACE, which is to the left once you’re facing the land, and Test Track, which is to the right facing the land.
How to ride Mission: SPACE
If you have Genie+, Mission: SPACE will probably be something like your third, fourth, or fifth Genie+ pick, with Remy’s, Frozen, Test Track, and Soarin’ all higher priority.
Otherwise, the ride is about a middle priority in the park. It can make sense to visit it right after Test Track if it has a short wait, but we usually just ride later in the day.
The Green and Orange missions often have different waits, with Green (less intense) usually being lower. Personally we think the Green mission is a fine way to experience the ride, so unless you’re a real thrill junky we don’t advise waiting more than an extra 5-10 minutes for Orange.
If you’re visiting Epcot with small children, you’ll need to use rider switch to get on (unless you have Genie+). There is a small playground not far from the ride (near the Creations gift shop).
Mission: SPACE Ride Experience
The pre show stars Gary Sinese and is a pretty straightforward explanation of the “journey” you’ll take and the different jobs your team will have (hitting buttons, mostly).
Mission: SPACE Ride Vehicle
The Mission: SPACE ride vehicle is a (really) cramped four-person cabin attached to a centrifuge. The centrifuge spins, simulating a liftoff from Earth, and the cabins move a bit beyond that, too.
Regardless of whether you choose Orange or Green, you’ll be given a role as part of a four-person team, but mostly you just have to hit buttons and it’s fine it you don’t.
Mission: SPACE Orange vs. Green
You can view a video of the Orange experience here.
You can view a video of the Green experience here.
There’s two differences between the Orange and Green Missions. First, Orange is a mission to Mars, and Green is a trip around Earth. The Mars mission is, just from a story perspective, a bit more fun, but I sort of like flying over Earth, too.
Second, there’s the difference in motion. Disney tells you Orange is “more intense” and Green is “less intense”…what does that mean? I can only offer my take, so here it is.
I’m not particularly prone to motion sickness. Mission: SPACE Orange is the only ride that makes me motion sick at Walt Disney World, though several screen rides over at Universal have made me queasy before. (At some point in the past, motion sickness bags were available. If you’re concerned, ask a Cast Member about this at the ride.)
I find Mission: SPACE Orange to be quite an intense experience, so much so that I really don’t even enjoy myself on the ride anymore.
As for Green, I think “less” intense is definitely correct, but that doesn’t mean the ride is not intense at all. I think Green is all about expectations—most people should be able to handle it, but be prepared for an uncomfortable moment or two. You’ll read some sources that say Green doesn’t spin at all, but I believe this to be incorrect based on experience, and at least one legitimate source claims Green spins once.
Mission: SPACE FAQ
How Many Gs does mission: SPACE reach?
On the Orange Mission, guests experience forces up to 2.5G—2.5 times the force of gravity.
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Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
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