Does Space Mountain Go Upside Down? (Surprising Answer)

The Space Mountain ride at Magic Kingdom Disney World does not go upside down, and neither does the ride at Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, or Disneyland Hong Kong (Hyperspace Mountain).

BUT there is a version of Space Mountain that does go upside down!

Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain in Disneyland Paris does go upside down.

As a matter of fact, it goes upside down (or goes in a loop or inversion) three times during the course of the ride. It also tops out at 44 miles per hour (versus the much tamer top speed of 28 miles per hour for the Disney World version of the ride).

So to recap:

• Space Mountain Disney World – Does not go upside down (doesn’t have any “loops”)
• Space Mountain Disneyland – Does not go upside down (doesn’t have any “loops”)
• Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain Disnelyland Park Paris – Does go upside down multiple times (does have multiple “loops”)
• Space Mountain Tokyo Disneyland – Does not go upside down (doesn’t have any “loops”)
• Space Mountain Hong Kong Disneyland – Does not go upside down (doesn’t have any “loops”)

Why Does It Matter if Space Mountain Has Loops?

My daughter loves lots of rides, but doesn’t like coasters (or “coaster type rides” as Disney calls Space Mountain) that go upside down (she feels like she’ll fall out of her seat). It’s useful for her to be able to identify the rides that do (and don’t) go upside down when she’s at the parks.

If you (or your kids or someone in your party) are like my daughter and are a little squeamish about rides that go upside down, checking out the ride video for Disneyland Paris’s Hyperspace Mountain before you visit is a good idea:

You can even see part of Space Mountain with the lights on (though I should warn you it may impact the “illusion” of the ride for you):

While Space Mountain doesn’t go upside down at most Disney parks, isn’t a scary ride, and tops out at 28-35 miles per hour at all of the Disney parks but Disneyland Paris (where it’s 44 miles per hour – again that’s also the ride that goes upside down) the ride does feel like it goes very fast.

Two quick tips if you have ride-anxious folks in your party:

• Often a good proxy for intense a ride is (even if it doesn’t go upside down) is to check out the height requirements – you can see all of the Space Mountain height requirements at various parks in our post on that subject.
• If your rider is anxious it’s sometimes good to know how long the ride will be – the Disney World version of Space is relatively short, and you can see how long Space Mountain lasts at all of the parks in our post on the subject.

Which Disney Rides Do Go Upside Down?

While my daughter hates rides that go upside down, my son loves them. If you were hoping the stateside Space Mountain rides go upside down and are disappointed, you do have one option at each US Disney park:

• Disney World: Rock’n Roller Coaster – This is another ride that takes place in the dark, goes almost twice as fast as Space Mountain, and does in fact go upside down.
• Disneyland: Incredicoaster – Incredicoaster is the only coaster at Disneyland that goes upside down, is the fastest ride at Disneyland (just 2mph slower than Disney World’s Rock’n Roller Coaster).

BONUS: If you’re in the Orlando area and really like coasters that go upside down, Universal Studio’s Incredible Hulk Coaster goes upside down seven times during the course of the ride.

The Physics of Roller Coaster Loops

If you either love going upside down or hate it, you may find the physics behind roller coaster loops interesting:

OR You may want to understand more about how roller coasters effect your body when you’re going upside down: