NASA
What will happen with Mars reconnaissance orbiter once it has done its job?
314 Total Votes

Responses
Orbiters will never come back from Mars--once there, they remain in orbit, even after they finish working. However, how long they actually work, taking data and sending it back to Earth, depends on the mission. The Mars Global Surveyor orbiter sent back data for almost 10 years before finally shutting down!
 meerkat
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