( CNN ) -- The Obama administration wants to keep the International Space Station open for another decade , keeping the orbital research platform open through 2024 , the White House and NASA announced Wednesday . The decision extends U.S. support for the station by four years . In a joint statement Wednesday afternoon , White House science adviser John Holdren and NASA administrator Charles Bolden said the station `` offers enormous scientific and societal benefits . '' NASA hopes to use the station to study the effects of long-duration space flight on astronauts in preparation for new missions beyond Earth in the coming decades . The ISS is also needed for studies of long-range space flight , as a platform for Earth science studies and to boost a growing private space industry , Bolden and Holdren said . Funding for the space station must go through Congress . The 15-year-old station currently houses six crew members , including three Russian cosmonauts , two U.S. astronauts and one Japanese astronaut . NASA currently contributes about $ 3 billion a year to its operations , which are also supported by Russia , Canada , Japan and members of the European Space Agency . `` With a partnership that includes 15 nations and with 68 nations currently using the ISS in one way or another , this unique orbiting laboratory is a clear demonstration of the benefits to humankind that can be achieved through peaceful global cooperation , '' Holdren and Bolden said . `` It is important to keep this partnership intact , with America as its leader . ''
Obama administration extends support for the ISS for another decade . Comment: ISS currently houses a crew of six , including two Americans .