Stardust Racers

Stardust Racers is a steel dual launched roller coaster at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando, Florida. Universal Orlando first announced the new theme park in August 2019 before officially unveiling Stardust Racers and its associated Celestial Park area in January 2024.^[1][2]

Stardust Racers
Universal Epic Universe
Park section	Celestial Park
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 22, 2025
General statistics
Type	Steel – Racing – Launched
Manufacturer	Mack Rides
Designer	Universal Creative
Model	Dueling Launch Coaster
Lift/launch system	Linear motor launch
	Pulsar	Photon
Height	133 ft (40.5 m)	133 ft (40.5 m)
Length	5,000 ft (1,524.0 m)	5,000 ft (1,524.0 m)
Speed	62 mph (99.8 km/h)	62 mph (99.8 km/h)
Inversions	1	1
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Trains	5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders per train.
Official website	Stardust Racers
Universal Express available
Stardust Racers at RCDB Pictures of Stardust Racers at RCDB

Stardust Racers was manufactured by Mack Rides and includes two 5,000-foot (1,500 m) pairs of track, collectively making it one of the largest steel coasters in the United States.^[3][4] It officially opened on May 22, 2025, along with rest of the theme park.

History

Development

Universal Epic Universe was first announced on August 1, 2019, as a new third-gate theme park that would double Universal Orlando's footprint.^[5][6] No attractions or details were divulged at the time, although a large dueling coaster was predominantly visible in concept artwork. German roller coaster manufacturer Mack Rides subsequently patented a new ride inversion design in the fall, where twin tracks twisted over each other while rising and falling from a peak.^[7] This would later become widely referred to as the Celestial Spin.^[8]

Epic Universe was originally scheduled to open in 2023, but parent company Comcast announced in April 2020 that construction would be delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[9] Europa Park owner Roland Mack announced in September that Universal had cancelled his company's order for "the largest roller coaster in the world", which was valued at well over 20 million euros and wouldn't be delivered in the foreseeable future.^[4] Construction on Epic Universe resumed in March 2021 and the following January Roland confirmed that Universal had renewed the contract as a result, which had been amended to include a second coaster project.^[10][11]

Construction

Track and supports for the attraction began arriving in August 2022.^[12] Construction oversaw groundwork and coaster installation taking place concurrently, with each section being completed in phases. The first pieces were fitted in November 2022 with the initial launch tracks and maintenance bays, with the layout being physically completed in June 2023.^[13][14] The highlight Celestial Spin element was topped off near the end of May.^[15]

Announcement

Universal City Studios LLC submitted a trademark application for "Starfall Racers" to the United States Patent and Trademark Office on March 7, 2023.^[16] On January 30, 2024, Universal Orlando formally shared information on Epic Universe and its central Celestial Park precinct.^[17] Starfall Racers was also officially announced at this time, with a wide variety of concept artwork and animation released to the public.^[3][18] The coaster was finished in time and opened with the park on May 22, 2025.^[19][20] In 2024, the name was challenged by the Starfall Education Foundation for "brand misappropriation toward children" and in late May 2024, the roller coaster was renamed to "Stardust Racers", which was a backup trademark name in the event.^[21]

Characteristics

The ride's backstory is that the Celestians, residents of Celestial Park, have learned to capture comets from the stars and ride them. They are allowing visitors to race on two of these comets, Pulsar and Photon, to see which is the fastest.

Each side of Stardust Racers stands 133 feet (41 m) tall, covers around 5,000 feet (1,500 m) of track, and reaches a top speed of 62 mph (100 km/h). The aforementioned peak height reaches during the attraction's signature Celestial Spin element, where the tracks invert around each other while rising and falling. The top speed meanwhile is reached using a pair of linear motor launches on each side.

Stardust Racers runs with up to four trains on each track, given that the maintenance bays can hold eight sets.^[12] Each train is made up of five cars where riders sit in two rows of two, for a total of twenty passengers. While the ride structure does not display any lighting at night, the trains feature onboard audio and lights, making the illuminated ride vehicles appear as comets in the night sky.^[3] A flux capacitor from the Back to the Future film series can also be seen attached to the back of the trains.