Aerospace and defence company Boeing is set to continue supporting operations of the International Space Station (ISS) through September 2024.

As part of the $916m contract extension, Nasa’s industry partner will be responsible for delivering the engineering support services, resources, and personnel.

This support is for activities that take place on the orbiting laboratory. Boeing will also monitor the station’s range of systems.

Work for the contract will be carried out at Lyndon B. Johnson Space Centre in Houston, the John F Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntsville, Alabama.

Boeing International Space Station vice-president and programme manager John Mulholland said: “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.

“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.”

Boeing has worked closely in the development, assembly, habitation and daily operations aboard the ISS since it was selected by Nasa as the ISS prime contractor in 1993.

The company help Nasa and its international partners safely host astronauts and cosmonauts for months.

Last month, Airbus and the European Space Agency (ESA) also signed a contract to continue operating and using European components on the ISS.