Space Mountain

At Disneyland Paris, Space Mountain opened to visitors on 1 June 1995 as the first version of the resort’s flagship attraction. The park described it as a journey carried out in darkness, and the great enclosed structure made that darkness part of the design. news.disneylandparis.com· news.disneylandparis.com

Behind the romantic façade stood a considerable engineering achievement. Vekoma built a custom launched steel coaster, while a rope-driven catapult sent each train into the dome. A contemporary technical paper described the installation as a 120 million dollar visitor attraction. coasterpedia.net· ropetechnology.com

At thirty-two metres high and reaching 70.8 kilometres per hour, the Paris course carries its passengers through three inversions within the enclosed mountain. When built, it was described as the first full-circuit launch coaster. coasterpedia.net

The attraction has since been presented through different journeys, while its original Paris installation has remained a notable part of the park. Its distinction was later recognized with a THEA Award in Los Angeles. news.disneylandparis.com· spacemountain.fr