Overview
- Crews installed the final exterior panels on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, completing a yearlong replacement project that began in August 2025 and focused on the paneling around the Project Tomorrow exit area.
- The new panels have a shiny blue-gray finish that produces a gradient effect in sunlight and now match the rest of the refreshed vertical cladding on the geodesic sphere.
- At D23 Expo 2026, Walt Disney Imagineering announced an official interior reimagining of Spaceship Earth centered on human connection and revealed a companion Spaceship Earth television series with leads Catherine Laga’aia and Deacon Phillippe.
- Despite the exterior work and the D23 announcement, Spaceship Earth remains open and Walt Disney World has not provided dates, a closing schedule, or details about changes to narration or specific interior scenes.
- Earlier 2026 infrastructure problems, including a major pipe burst and an October interior leak that forced temporary queue changes, help explain why Disney has been doing short-term repairs while planning a larger, still-untimed interior overhaul that could affect future guest access.