BOSTON – To boldly go where no gas station has gone before might become a reality sooner than you think. Scientists have revealed that space gas depots might be more viable than previously thought, Space.com reports.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers have suggested the possibility of devising off-Earth propellant depots to provide a fueling station for moon missions. With en-route gas stations, spacecraft wouldn’t need as much fuel when launching, thus enabling it to carry heavier loads.

While not a novel idea, previous proposals have carried hefty price tags. This current suggestion would cost less because it relies on using the “contingency propellant,” or backup fuel, that each spacecraft carries. Instead of jettisoning the fuel into space at large, the spacecraft would deposit it at a fuel depot instead.

“Whatever rockets you use, you’d like to take full advantage of your lifting capacity,” said Jeffrey Hoffman, a professor in MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “Most of what we launch from the Earth is propellant. So whatever you can save, there’s that much more payload you can take with you.”

No word yet on what the price of filling up in space would cost or whether an attendant would be on hand to wash windshields.