Kings Island announces Orion giga coaster for 2020

A new roller coaster is joining the lineup at Kings Island in 2020 – Orion, one of only seven giga coasters in the world, a class of roller coasters that have a height or drop of 300-399 feet.

Orion will be themed to the park’s new Area 72, and will feature “the latest prototype vehicle developed by the Project X initiative.” Scientists are racing to develop technology that can weave transport vehicles through a coming meteor storm and travel to a new planet within the Orion constellation. But for the program to be a success, they need volunteers to help test it – and that’s where you come in.

Riders will plummet down a 300-foot first drop, traveling over seven more hills and 5,321 feet of track at speeds up to 91 miles per hour for the coaster’s 3-minute duration. Orion was designed exclusively for Kings Island by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), which also designed the park’s Banshee and Diamondback roller coasters. The coaster has a minimum height requirement of 54 inches.

Check out the trailer and front seat POV for Orion below:

Orion will open at Kings Island in 2020. To learn more, head to VisitKingsIsland.com.