Galactica

Galactica is a groundbreaking steel flying roller coaster located at Alton Towers Resort in the beautiful Staffordshire countryside. Originally opening under the name Air, this £12m thrill ride is situated in the Forbidden Valley area of the theme park. It holds a significant place in theme park history as the first-ever flying coaster manufactured by legendary Swiss designers Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M).

Galactica at Alton Towers: The Quest for Flight

Alton Towers first conceived the ambitious concept of a flying roller coaster twelve years before the ride eventually opened. Following the monumental success of Nemesis in 1994, initial plans were drawn up to launch a flying coaster in 1998. However, technological limitations delayed the project.

As with several of the park’s iconic Secret Weapons, the ride was developed in part by legendary designer John Wardley. Construction began in 2001, and the ride officially opened to the public on 16 March 2002 supported by a massive £4.5m marketing campaign featuring the memorable slogan, “assume the position.”

Before you travel to the park, make sure to look over our dedicated Alton Towers Offers Page to secure the biggest ticket discounts, standard entry vouchers, and short break deals.

How Fast Does Galactica Go? (Speed & Height Stats)

For theme park fans looking into the exact Galactica Alton Towers speed, the flying roller coaster achieves a thrilling top speed of 47mph (75km/h). The train glides close to the ground, rock faces, and footpaths, which greatly accentuates the sensation of high-speed flight.

How Tall is Galactica at Alton Towers?

If you are tracking the physical structure, Galactica stands at a height of 66ft (20m) tall. However, because it utilizes the natural drop of the Forbidden Valley terrain, the track plunges deep into stone ravines, making the drop feel significantly deeper than the lift hill structure implies.

Click the Compare Button below to stack up these metrics against up to 5 other rides from our master list of UK Roller Coasters.

• Current Wait Time: Loading…
• Top Speed: 75km/h (47mph)
• Original Cost: £12m
• Estimated Cost Today: £20.5m
• Track Length: 2,760ft (840m)
• Height: 66ft (20m)
• Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M)
• Type: Steel Flying Coaster
• Lift/Launch: Chain Lift Hill
• Inversions: 2
• G-Force: 3.5 G
• Trains: 3
• Passengers per Train: 28
• Ride Duration: 1m 40s
• Year Opened: 2002 (as Air) / 2016 (as Galactica)

If you have not played the game before, view our Roller Coaster Top Trumps instructions.

The Rebranding & Virtual Reality History

Between 2002 and 2015, the ride was simply named AIR, an acronym marketed by the park as an “Aerial Inversion Ride.” In 2016, the park completed a major re-theme, enclosing the station building, adding a massive space portal structure that the track weaves through, and introducing optional Samsung Gear VR headsets to simulate a journey through the cosmos.

While the virtual reality headsets provided a unique simulation, they severely reduced the ride’s maximum capacity from 1,500 riders per hour due to the extra time required for cleaning and loading. Following guest feedback, the park chose to remove the VR headsets entirely in 2019. Today, the ride retains its cosmic Galactica name and theme, allowing passengers to enjoy the pure, unhindered sensation of B&M flying hardware.

John Wardley: The Mastermind

For those who want to learn more about the incredible history behind the design of Air, Nemesis, and the evolution of the modern UK theme park industry, we highly recommend reading John Wardley’s autobiography. It provides a brilliant look into how some of the world’s most innovative attractions were created.

Purchase a copy of John Wardley’s autobiography on Amazon: ‘Creating my own Nemesis’.

Alton Towers Secret Weapons Timeline

During its development phase, Galactica was known under the internal code name Secret Weapon 5 (SW5). The park famously utilizes these codenames to keep enthusiasts guessing. See where it fits on the full historical timeline:

• Secret Weapon 1 & 2: 1991/1992 – Arrow Pipeline Coaster (Never Built)
• Secret Weapon 3: 1994 – Nemesis (Europe’s First Inverted Coaster)
• Secret Weapon 4: 1998 – Oblivion (World’s First Dive Coaster)
• Secret Weapon 5: 2002 – Galactica (World’s First B&M Flying Coaster)
• Secret Weapon 6: 2010 – Th13teen (World’s First Vertical Freefall Drop Coaster)
• Secret Weapon 7: 2013 – The Smiler (World Record 14-Inversion Coaster)
• Secret Weapon 8: 2018 – Wicker Man (GCI Wooden Coaster)

The Full Alton Towers Roller Coaster Lineup

Galactica is just one of seven world-class coasters at the resort. Discover our deep-dive visitor guides for the other signature thrill rides on site:

• Wicker Man: The UK’s first new wooden coaster built in over 20 years, fusing wood and real fire elements.
• Nemesis Reborn: The legendary B&M inverted coaster, completely rebuilt with a striking new look.
• Oblivion: The iconic world-first diving machine featuring a 180ft drop directly into an underground tunnel.
• Rita: A high-octane launch coaster blasting riders from 0 to 61.1mph in a blistering 2.5 seconds.
• The Smiler: The ultimate challenge, holding the undisputed world record as the coaster with the most inversions.
• Th13teen: A multi-element psycho-coaster featuring an unexpected vertical freefall drop track segment in the dark.

Planning your trip? Make sure to explore our master Alton Towers Resort Directory, uncover hidden tips with our Alton Towers Secrets Guide, or read through our expert Alton Towers Insider Tips.

UK Record-Breaking Statistics

See where Alton Towers ranks on our national leaderboards by viewing the Tallest Roller Coasters in the UK, the Longest Roller Coasters in the UK, the Fastest Roller Coasters in the UK, and the definitive guide to UK Roller Coasters with the Most Inversions.

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