Boeing has been awarded a US$916 million contract extension for continued support of the International Space Station through September 2024. Valued annually at US$225 million, the agreement covers the provision of engineering support services, resources, and personnel for activities aboard the space station.
With its first component launched in 1998, the ISS is now celebrating 20 years in operation, but it is facing decommissioning some time in the next 10 years when basic wear and tear takes its toll on its structural integrity. Though the station may continue running into the latter half of the decade, NASA is only committed to participating along with its international partners until 2024. After this, any American cooperation will be through private companies.
The new extension will allow Boeing to continue managing the ISS's systems as prime contractor both in orbit and at Earthside facilities, including the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston; the John F. Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida; and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
"As the International Space Station marks its 20th year of human habitation, Boeing continues to enhance the utility and livability of the orbiting lab we built for NASA decades ago," says John Mulholland, Boeing vice president, and program manager for the International Space Station. "We thank NASA for their confidence in our team and the opportunity to support the agency’s vital work in spaceflight and deep-space exploration for the benefit of all humankind."
Source: Boeing