Our Mission Space ride article tells you everything you want to know about Epcot’s out-of-this-world experience.

Deep down, don’t we all want to be astronauts? Thankfully, the Disney company has a forever pipeline drilled deep into all things you and me — including our dreams (we’ll prove this another day) — which is why we have brilliant attractions like Mission: Space at Epcot. 

Taking flight in October 2003, the titular ride pairs you with three strangers who are probably as unqualified as you to pilot a real spacecraft. So, Disney gave us training wheels. Look, ma, I’m a navigator!

Ready to board your cosmic carriage? Here’s everything you want to know about the Mission: Space Ride in Epcot.

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What Is Mission: SPACE in Epcot?

Mission: Space is a space-travel simulator, and a dang good one at that. Guests are placed into groups of four, and the setup is that we’re all undergoing training as International Space Training Center cadets. Each trainee is assigned a role — pilot, navigator, commander, or engineer — and then everyone heads to the simulator to initiate blastoff.

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You’ll also have your choice of two adventures: Orange Mission (more intense) or Green Mission (less intense). While both simulations feature motion, the Orange Mission adds a centrifuge with spin and tilt functions. Disney advises expectant mothers to avoid riding Mission: Space altogether and also recommends that all guests be in good health before riding.

What Is the Difference Between Mission: Space Green and Orange?

Orange Mission goes all in on its space voyage simulation. Cadets get the centrifuge treatment on this (in)famous journey to Mars. Expect lots of motion, including fast spinning and tilting as you cruise to our planetary neighbor.

Green Mission simulates a rocket-launch sequence into the cosmos, but instead of taking the bumpier ride to Mars Land, your simulator is locked into an orbit around good ole Earth. If you look hard enough, you can probably see one or several McDonald’s!

Is Mission: SPACE an Intense Ride?

That all depends on which mission you choose.

Orange Mission is objectively the more intense of the pair, and that’s not to be taken lightly. Disney wanted guests to experience the insane G-forces that astronauts contend with, and that centrifuge does quite an effective job at messing with our normal grasp on gravity — or should we say its normal grasp on us? 

🚨 Your first TLDR: Orange Mission is a lot. 

Green Mission folks are going to have a far different experience, since that simulator chamber doesn’t use a centrifuge. So, think of it like Soarin’ Around the World, but in an enclosed ride vehicle. Which brings this to mind:

We took a family trip to Walt Disney World in October 2023, and Lindsay’s 8-year-old niece did not like the ultra-close quarters of Green Mission. And guess what? Neither did Mike, the 33-year-old writing this sentence years later. There’s a good amount going on inside your ride vehicle once the hood comes down (e.g., screens, sounds, vibrations), and it gets pretty stuffy, too.

🚨 Your second TLDR: Green Mission is easier, but still not great for those who despise feeling confined.

Does Mission: Space Have a Long Wait?

Usually not. In fact, we recommend not booking a Lightning Lane for this ride. Whether you’re only in Epcot for one day — or even just a couple of hours — you can probably get on Mission: Space more than once, and without much of a wait. 

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Generally speaking, you can expect 20- to 30-minute wait times for this attraction regardless of the mission you choose. Even on the busiest Epcot day of our last trip, we didn’t see a Mission: Space wait longer than 50 minutes (and that was on a crowded Saturday in the middle of May). 

Wrapping Up

Truth: We almost never ride Mission: Space, and that’s not because it’s a bad attraction. It’s just one of those Disney experiences that we (a) forget exists or (b) always prefer another ride over.

Full disclosure, Mike would rather ride Journey Into Imagination With Figment than Mission: Space. 😏

But don’t dodge it just because we’re through with our space-bounding. Plus, we have it on good authority that Walt would want you to feel like an astronaut. (We don’t, but that’s fun to say.)

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