Star Wars: Episode VII may be months away, but some new research out of NASA’s Johnson Space Center has some people thinking about hyperspace drives already — and whether they’re possible in the real world.

A group of researchers have tested an electromagnetic propulsion drive that could help make space travel within the solar system much more practical and speedy through an innovative new process that wouldn’t involve the use of propellant at all.

The idea of using electromagnetic drives isn’t exactly a revolutionary one, as scientists from around the world have been working on that concept for years, but a new report suggests that scientists have witnessed a milestone in testing EM propulsion in a hard vacuum — the first time ever.

The idea is that propulsion would be produced not by some sort of liquid propellant as it is today, but rather by electromagnetic microwaves that are bounced within a cone-shaped cavity that creates electrical energy, which can then be converted into thrust.

So far, the concept is theoretical, so don’t expect to be jumping to light speed and traversing the galaxy just yet. And it is not without its critics, with some arguing that the concept seems to violate some fundamental laws of Newtonian physics.

However, if successful, some speculate scientists could send a spacecraft to the moon in just hours, and send a crew on a trip to Mars in a little over two months, much faster than can be done today. While that’s not quite up to the standards of Star Wars and jumping to light speed, it’s a start.

Of course, scientists won’t make any claims that we’re about to revolutionize space travel, but the findings are causing some excitement within the scientific community.