ad astra rocket company developed the vx-200, a full-scale prototype of the vasimr engine intended for ground testing. the company successfully tested the prototype in september 2009. following the test, the company will begin preparations for the vf-200-1, the first flight unit. the vasimr technology could be useful in the near future for interplanetary space travel. the vasimr design would be capable of reducing the trip from earth to mars to less than four months, whereas current chemical rockets would take around eight months for one-way transit, making the round-trip mission longer than 2 years. a nuclear-powered vasimr engine could shorten the round-trip in-flight time into under five months, while smaller scale solar powered engines could tug satellites through different orbits and deliver loads to the moon.