the ad astra rocket company is an american rocket propulsion company dedicated to the development of advanced plasma rocket propulsion technology. located in webster, texas, three miles away from nasa's johnson space center, the company was incorporated on january 14, 2005. the president and ceo of ad astra rocket company is retired astronaut, dr. franklin chang díaz. the company has been working on chang díaz's concept of the variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket, known by its acronym vasimr. the vasimr is intended to achieve several advantages over current chemical rocket designs, including lunar cargo transport, in-space refueling, and ultra-high speeds for distant space missions.