The lights would turn off after an amount of time, and could be each turned on by having the ball go over it, or by going on the launch ramp again. Missions would end either when the goal is met, or when all of the lights under the launch ramp would turn off. Each mission has a set number of things for players to do, such as hitting the 'attack bumpers' (which were a set of four bumpers at the top of the table) eight times.
Players accept a mission by hitting 'mission targets' which select which mission they will take, and by going up the 'launch ramp'. The Space Cadet table featured the player as a member of a space fleet where they complete missions to increase their rank.
