HOUSTON -- NASA Wednesday awarded ARES Corp. in Houston a one-year contract extension valued at $25.7 million for services required to continue the development and operation of the International Space Station.

ARES Corp. has held the station's program integration and control contract since January 2004. The one-year extension brings the total value of the contract to $151.8 million. The extension, which begins Oct. 1, 2008, is the first of two such options provided for in the original contract.

ARES provides integrated vehicle performance and risk management, configuration and schedule management, information technology management, resource analysis, and cost estimating services.