Space Shuttle is the roller coaster that taught the Philippines to go upside down. Standing eleven stories over the Spaceport section of Enchanted Kingdom in Santa Rosa, Laguna, this Vekoma Boomerang was the first inverting coaster of its kind in the country when it opened in 1995 — themed, fittingly, to 1960s sci-fi and the NASA space program.
Key Stats
| Type | Vekoma Boomerang (steel shuttle coaster) |
| Opened | October 19, 1995 |
| Height | 116.5 ft (35.5 m) |
| Track length | 935 ft (285 m) |
| Top speed | 47 mph (76 km/h) |
| Inversions | 3 (six total with the backward pass) |
| Ride time | 1:48 |
| Max g-force | 5.2 g |
| Capacity | 760 riders per hour |
From English Safari Park to Philippine Icon
Space Shuttle had a whole career before it reached Asia. From 1985 to 1991 the same coaster operated as Cobra at the West Midland Safari and Leisure Park in Bewdley, England. Relocated and rethemed, it reopened at Enchanted Kingdom on October 19, 1995 and instantly became the park’s signature thrill machine — the first coaster ride of its kind in the Philippines.
The ride has carried sponsor branding through the years, running as “Space Shuttle Max” under Pepsi-Cola Philippines after a 2007–2008 refurbishment, then swapping to Coca-Cola branding when the park sealed a new partnership in 2012.
Ride Experience
A single seven-car train seating 28 riders is winched backwards out of the station up a 116.5-foot lift spike. Released, it plunges through the station and into the cobra roll — the element Vekoma’s designers originally called the “boomerang” — then loops through a full vertical circle before momentum carries it up the second spike. The two spikes angle toward each other in a V formation. A chain lift drags the train to the top of the far spike, holds it for a few teasing seconds, and lets go: the whole layout replays in reverse before the train slams to a stop back in the station. Riders go upside down six times — three forward, three backward.
How It Stacks Up
At 5.2 g, Space Shuttle pulls harder than many far larger coasters — see where the world’s most forceful rides land on our highest g-force coasters list. Its 116.5-foot spikes are modest next to the tallest coasters in the world, but in the Philippine market it remains a genuine landmark: the ride that introduced an entire country to inversions.
FAQ
How tall is Space Shuttle at Enchanted Kingdom?
The lift spikes reach 116.5 feet (35.5 m) — about eleven stories over the Spaceport section of the park.
Was Space Shuttle always at Enchanted Kingdom?
No. It originally ran as Cobra at England’s West Midland Safari and Leisure Park from 1985 to 1991 before being relocated to the Philippines, where it reopened in October 1995.
How many inversions does Space Shuttle have?
Three — a cobra roll and a vertical loop — each traversed forward and then backward, for six inversions per ride.
Photo: Martin Lewison via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)