Space Mountain will close April 19th for a much-needed and long anticipated refurbishment. Disney announced Wednesday that they will close the ride to make some changes that include replacing the track, adding a new enclosure to the waiting area of the ride and replacing the ceiling inside the dome.
Unlike most refurbishments in Disney, they didn't set a date for the completion but they did say it could re-open in late 2009.
Space Mountain has been a must-ride attraction in the Magic Kingdom for many years and rumors of a long refurbishment have been going on for several years.
Although I'm disappointed that the ride won't be open when I visit Disney in May, I look forward to a refurbished Space Mountain. I love this ride but with it's outdated roller coaster track it does jerk you around a lot. My guess is the new track will allow for a much smoother ride.
The only downside that I see is that the ride-which is now so popular that you either need to ride it as soon as the park opens or get a fast pass-will be even more popular when the refurbishment is complete!