Instead, the remnants/mechanics of the Rocket Jets were turned into the Observatron that sits there still today. Though many people have speculated through the years that it would (or should) be moved back to its old home atop the PeopleMover platform, this has never happened. Called the Astro Orbiter, it was a replica of Orbitron, Machines Volantes at Disneyland Paris. This time, it was at its current home at the entrance of Tomorrowland. One year later, a new version of the attraction opened.

This version would remain in Tomorrowland for the next thirty years until it closed for another Tomorrowland redesign. It was centered on a Nasa-themed rocket built to look like the Saturn V. Now called the Rocket Jets, it was found atop the PeopleMover platform in the center of Tomorrowland. For many, this is the home that is most commonly remembered when thinking about classic Tomorrowland. When the attraction returned in 1967, it had a new name and a new home. This was the name of the attraction until 1966 when it was closed to make way for the new Tomorrowland. This was due to one of Disneyland’s sponsor (United Airlines who sponsored the Tiki Room) feeling that Astro Jets was too similar to the Astrojet service that American Airline provided. In 1964 the attraction received a new name, Tomorrowland Jets. Called the Astro Jets at the time, this attraction took guests on a 50-foot circle as it spun around lifting guests as high as 36 feet. Found between the Submarine Lagoon and Rocket to the Moon. It was then that the first spinning rocket attraction opened at Disneyland. The origins of the Astro Orbiter go back to 1956. As guests whiz around the skies above Tomorrowland, the Astro Orbiter continues to keep Tomorrowland on the move. It is nearly impossible to walk through the Hub and not see this at the entrance to Tomorrowland. Another one, that might be first on the list, is the Astro Orbiter. Obviously, there is Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Matterhorn and the other mountains, the Train Station, and the Mark Twain. There are a few icons at Disneyland that just can’t be missed.

Astro orbiter disney