We’re back in another of our series of looking at Disneyland Paris attractions in depth. Our previous blog posts have taken us to Phantom Manor, Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s a Small World and Big Thunder Mountain. For today’s post we’re taking a trip into Discoveryland to look at Space Mountain, also known as Hyperspace Mountain, at least for now…

Making of the attraction

As with many classic Disney attractions, the original Space Mountain was planned as a concept for Disneyland… but that’s not where the attraction made its debut!

After the success of the Matterhorn bobsleds in Disneyland, Disney saw that thrill rides had a place in their parks, and wanted to work on other rollercoaster attractions. The idea for Space Mountain came out of this, developed by Walt Disney Imagineering and Arrow Development Company. It would be a rollercoaster ride in the dark through space, to add to the theming and story of Tomorrowland (always a tricky part of the Disney Parks as tomorrow has an annoying habit of becoming today). The first Space Mountain was originally aimed for Disneyland, but at the time with the limited footprint available in the park and the more limited technology available to operate the ride, the idea was parked for some time… Until Magic Kingdom in Florida came along! Magic Kingdom had a luxury that Disneyland did not have – space. Also, by the time that Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, technology had moved on to allow better control of ride vehicles on the track. So work began on building Space Mountain, and it opened at Magic Kingdom in 1975 – and quickly became a hit!

The success of Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom of course led to Disney adding it to other of its parks. The first was a version in Disneyland – they still had the limited footprint problem here, so the Disneyland Space Mountain has only one track instead of the two you find in Magic Kingdom, but the ride vehicles sit more people to help make up for this lack of capacity. When Tokyo Disneyland opened in 1983 it did so with its own version of Space Mountain – a near clone of the Disneyland version (although it’s seen some updates since taking it further from this design. It’s also worth noting it’s now being completely redesigned to make this version of Space Mountain unique to Tokyo).

When Disneyland Paris, then called EuroDisney, opened in 1992, it did not feature its own version of Space Mountain – however Disney’s Imagineers wanted to add the attraction to the park. In early concepts this area was to be known as Discovery Mountain and was to feature multiple attractions, dining and more, with the rollercoaster at the heart of the attraction. However, given budget restrictions (particularly considering the less than stellar attendance of EuroDisney on its opening), this ambitious design had to be scaled back. Instead a couple of elements from the original Discovery Mountain concept were created separately – including, of course, Space Mountain.

Given Discoveryland’s different theming style to the Tomorrowlands in the other parks where the attraction is found, Disney’s Imagineers needed a different concept for the attraction. For its inspiration, Disney’s Imagineers headed up by Tim Delaney looked to a historic, steampunk inspired view of space travel as described by Jules Verne, particularly in his story ‘From the Earth to the Moon’. In the story, space travel is envisioned as travellers being launched into space with gunpowder, hence the large Columbiad cannon on the side that launches the coaster! After being launched, travellers then travelled through space to the moon encountering some steampunk technology envisioned for this time, and through three inversions – a first for Space Mountain! With its high speed in the dark thrills, Space Mountain: De la Terre a la Lune was a huge hit when it opened, and Michael Eisner (then Disney CEO) credited the coaster with saving Disneyland Paris through the extra crowds it attracted.

Space Mountain’s history in Disneyland Paris doesn’t end here though! The original version ran from the attraction’s opening in 1995 to 2005. Then the attraction was refurbished for its 10th anniversary and reopened as Space Mountain: Mission 2. While still owing a lot of inspiration to Jules Verne, this version took travellers beyond the moon to the edge of the universe! In 2017 Space Mountain was refurbished once again for Disneyland Paris’ 25th anniversary, this time becoming Hyperspace Mountain – the version we have at the time of writing. Hyperspace Mountain is an added Star Wars overlay to the ride, taking travellers to the planet Jakku from the sequel trilogy (notably Star Wars: The Force Awakens), and putting them into the middle of a dogfight with Tie Fighters. While some love the Star Wars theming, it’s fair to say it doesn’t really tie in well with the Jules Verne inspirations still in the ride building and launch. In August 2026 it was announced that Hyperspace Mountain would close in late 2027, to turn the attraction back into its original version, De la Terre a la Lune, but plussed up with modern technology.

The attraction story

Which story you have for Space Mountain / Hyperspace Mountain very much depends on what version you rode! I’m going to look more in depth here for the stories of the original, de la Terre a la Lune, as it’s that story that will be returning to the attraction after 2027, and at the Hyperspace Mountain story we currently have.

For Space Mountain: de la Terre a la Lune, the story was that you were in a Jules Verne era of space travel from Victorian times, travelling to the moon. Your journey began with a catwalk overlooking parts of the ride, allowing you to see the ride vehicles in motion (this isn’t there are the moment, but should return when the ride returns to its original version). You then enter the Baltimore Gun Club. What, a gun club in Disney? Might sound a bit weird, but the Baltimore Gun Club was an important part of the Space Mountain plot – as Jules Verne envisioned space travel as a result of being catapulted into space with gunpowder, it makes sense in story terms that a gun club would design the cannon that launches people into space! The gun club space had theming that showed how the launch was designed, and the plan for the vehicles and the journey to space. From here you boarded your ‘moon train’ (aka ride vehicle) and were moved into the Columbiad cannon, which ‘fired’ (the cannon did use to move and smoke come out!) up the launch hill and into the coaster. From here you travelled through space towards the moon, while interacting with some asteroids and steam-punk like space mining equipment (no I’m not making that up!) After this you crested the ride to see the moon itself, before travelling back to earth via more asteroids and light show to simulate you reentering the atmosphere. And relax – you travelled to the moon and back via cannon! Pretty cool right?

Mission 2, which followed, was not to dissimilar – but because you were going to the edge of the universe, more futuristic elements were featured in the queue. And on the ride you had close encounters with comets, planets and a supernova, and your return was via a ‘hypergate’ – a red wormhole that transported you back to earth.

For Hyperspace Mountain, you are entering the Star Wars Universe! In the queue you get information from Admiral Akbar (of ‘It’s a trap’ fame from Return of the Jedi), that you are going to help spy on a Imperial Star Destroyer that’s been seen around the planet Jakku. You also still enter the Baltimore Gun Club so you can learn about the Columbiad cannon that’s going to help you blast in hyperspace. (Does that make any sense with the Star Wars theming? Not really but here we are…) You then board your ride vehicle, and after a brief bit of talking by Admiral Akbar you are blasted off into Hyperspace via the Columbiad Cannon. When you arrive at Jakku accompanied by some X-Wings, you’re quickly ambushed by tie fighters and dodge and weave through the battle. You then help with an attack on the star destroyer itself, before returning to earth via another hyperspace jump. The Star Wars imagery in the ride is mostly through projections and screens – of course it all goes past very quickly!

Finding the attraction

If you walk into Discoveryland in Disneyland Paris, you really can’t miss Space Mountain / Hyperspace Mountain – this huge attraction sits right in the centre of the land, so you can see it from pretty much any direction!

The actual main entrance for the ride is on the front of attraction (if you’re looking at it from the land main entrance), a bit behind the Orbitron rocket attraction. It’s well signposted, you can’t really miss it!

If you need the disabled entrance for the ride, head up to the main entrance and ask a cast member for the disabled line, that allows people to enter the ride via a lift. The Premier Access entrance (for those that have paid to skip the line, or who have a Priority Pass for the differently-abled that has no mobility restrictions) is actually nowhere near the other entrances, it’s round the left hand side of the building, near Star Tours and Cafe Hyperion.

Notes for the differently-abled

All versions of Space Mountain are pretty wild rollercoasters – but Paris’ version takes the cake as the wildest of all!

That’s because this ride features three inversions, as well as high speed (up to 44mph but it feels faster!) and a lot of banked turns and dips. This is a serious rollercoaster and should not be taken lightly! Also, because it takes place in near total darkness (apart from the special effects being lit), it’s very hard to see where the coaster is going and therefore to prepare yourself for the movement of the train. While it’s quite a smooth coaster, I’d be very wary of riding if you don’t like going upside down, or have any conditions that can be aggravated by quick movement, and g-forces. Be sure to look at the ride warnings, and take them seriously for this one!

From a sensory side, of course this ride is extremely dark, with flashing lights for the special effects. As such if you do not like being in dark spaces or are sensitive to flashing lights I would recommend giving this one a miss. Sights wise, currently it’s a lot of Star Wars spaceships and blaster fire – probably not anything to upset anyone but if you aren’t sure there are ride through videos online so I’d recommend watching one of them first. Also you might want to give this ride a miss if you are sensitive to unexpected movement, as noted above you can’t really see where the trains are going so each twist and turn comes as a surprise! Also, the rides have on train audio to tie into the ride which is quite loud, and of course you’re likely to have a lot of people screaming on the ride too! So if you’re sensitive to loud noises you may want to consider ear plugs or ear defenders as appropriate.

To get into the ride vehicles a small step down is required, and a small step up to get out of them. Note that the ride vehicles don’t have a ton of legroom so could feel quite tight for some. Also the restraints here are over the shoulder – they help you feel secure but for some they may feel restrictive! (Of course it’s all to help keep you safe). While getting in and out of the ride vehicle itself isn’t too bad, note that the main queue and the Premier Access queues both have stairs in them – if you need to avoid these definitely speak to a cast member on the entrance about using the disabled entrance where there’s lift access. The main queue can also feel a little hemmed in at times with others waiting, although it’s not as bad as some other attractions in Disneyland Paris! A note for the disabled line – bear in mind this is a popular ride, and when queue times are getting long you might get a bit of a wait in the disabled queue too. It shouldn’t be too long, but note that it won’t be instant access.

Hidden details and cool facts

Although it’s seen a lot of changes over its history, Space Mountain is a now an integral part of Disneyland Paris – and has some cool facts associated with it!

• The original Discovery Mountain concept for Disneyland Paris was more than just Space Mountain. As well as the rollercoaster the concept included a Nautilus submarine attraction, an underwater restaurant, a version of Horizons from Epcot and even a free fall attraction! No wonder it got down-scaled. Of the original ideals, apart from Space Mountain only the Nautilus attraction was also created, although as a walkthrough experience and not a ride.
• Disneyland Paris’ Space Mountain was the first Disney rollercoaster to feature on-ride audio synced to the ride – originally a soundtrack by Steven Bramson (a remastered version will be returning to the ride). Disney went on to add this audio technology to other rides including other versions of Space Mountain, and Rock n Rollercoaster in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
• While Space Mountain features in five out of the six Disney castle parks, Paris’ version remains the only one to feature inversions. There are three – a sidewinder, a corkscrew and a horseshoe for those of you out there that know about these things! It’s also the only Disney rollercoaster to launch on an incline.
• The Columbiad Cannon used to move to ‘fire’ the trains up the hill, and have smoke effects to boot. Sadly these haven’t worked for some time. It’s noted as something Imagineers want to bring back in 2027 when they start work to return the ride to its original version
• Because of the Columbiad Cannon and launch, Space Mountain in Disneyland Paris is the only version of the ride that has a very short outside section. So if you’re looking for the ride in Discoveryland and can’t see the ride building itself, listen out for the screaming!
• Because of the popularity of Paris’ version of Space Mountain, Imagineers tried to use steampunk elements from the design in Disneyland in California. It was a bit of a weird mix with the Tomorrowland aesthetic though so the steam punk elements were mostly dropped – you can still seem them a bit in their version or Orbitron, which is like Paris’ steampunk era design!

When to visit

As you would expect Space Mountain / Hyperspace Mountain is a popular ride, and regularly attracts some quite long lines!

However, due to its more thrilling nature and the higher height requirement, this ride still tends not to see waits as long as Big Thunder Mountain over in Frontierland. As a result, queues seem to build up slower here in the morning, and taper off quite a bit in the evening. As a result we’d recommend trying to hit up Space Mountain in Extra Magic Hour (the extra hour of park times in the morning for Disney hotel guests) or the first hour of the park day, or to try and ride in the last hour or two of the park day for lower lines.

Guests with the Priority Pass or Easy Access passes for the disabled will be able to use these for a shorter wait. For the Priority Pass show your pass at the entrance to be directed to either the disabled entrance or Premier Access line. For the Easy Access Pass you’ll need to book a return time before returning to either the Disabled or Premier Access lines as appropriate.

There is also a single rider line. Here parties are split up to fill in odd seats on the attraction. Using the single rider line can help reduce your wait but not that your party will be split up – so not ideal for folks who want to ride together, or anyone who may be nervous riding alone!

If you’re unable to catch Space Mountain early or late on in the day or the queues are long all day (as can happen in peak seasons) and single ride isn’t an option, then the other way to reduce your wait is to pay for Premier Access. This allows you to bypass the main queue line for a shorter wait. If you get the Premier Pass Ultimate then you’ll be able to visit the ride when you like during the park day, if you buy a Premier Pass One (so just for Space Mountain) then you’ll be given an hour time slot to return to the ride. Note that the Premier Access entrance gives expedited access, not immediate. For more information on Premier Access check out our blog. Note that for Premier Access One you pay somewhere around €8-€12 per person to ride – the more busy the parks are, the more it will cost.

Final notes

Here’s some final thoughts on Space Mountain / Hyperspace Mountain

• While the jury is out which version of Space Mountain around the world is the best (especially with Tokyo’s version currently going through its refurb), the Paris version is definitely held up as the most thrilling with those inversions!
• The short outside section on Space Mountain is sheltered, so it’s unlikely this attraction will close in bad weather (unless there’s lightning or similar nearby)
• Keep your hands and arms in the ride vehicle. While you shouldn’t be able to knock yourself on anything in the ride this is still a safety concern!
• Keep a tight hold of personal belongings. This is a wild ride and it’s easy to lose things! We’d recommend making sure any bags are firmly closed before being placed on the floor, where you can help hold it in place with your legs. Popping one leg through the strap might add some more peace of mind. Or if possible leave your belongings with a non-riding member of your party!
• Don’t try to hold things like mobile phones in your hands. It’s easy to lose things here! I’d be wary of pockets too though unless you can fasten them – it’s probably best to put loose items in a sealed bag, or leave it with someone in your group if they’re not riding. Also you’re not really supposed to film on the ride, so there’s limited benefit in having your phone or camera out anyway!
• The ride lasts for about 2 minutes. So that’s not very long really! But because of the queues you may want to use the toilet before visiting. The nearest ones are near Autopia, or inside Cafe Hyperion.
• You can buy your ride photo! It’s taken as you exit the first launch, although I’d be lying if I told you I knew where to look for the best photo. You’ll head past the stand to view the photos as you leave the ride. If you have the Photopass + you’ll be able to add the photo to that, otherwise you can buy digital downloads or prints.

I admit, Space Mountain isn’t a ride I choose to experience in Disneyland Paris often! But there’s no doubting that the building and ride are now a core piece of Disneyland Park. How do you feel about this ride, are you pleased or sad to see the Star Wars overlay go? Let us know in the comments, and while you’re down there please consider subscribing to our blog. You’ll get future blogs into your email inbox, and receive a free copy of our Magically Different Guide to Disneyland Paris attraction accessibility (otherwise £3). We’d also love to see you over on our YouTube channel. And if you’d like to support our work please consider leaving us a tip, shopping our Amazon storefront, or booking your Disneyland Paris trip via our affiliate links in the images in our banner and side bar. Thank you!