# NASA’s Oldest Martian Spacecraft Have Been Running for Decades. Here’s How

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/nasas-oldest-martian-spacecraft-have-been-running-for-decades-heres-how/
- Published: 2026-10-27T10:45:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-27T11:21:03+00:00
- Original publisher: Wired
- Original article: https://www.wired.com/story/how-nasa-oldest-martian-spacecraft-run-for-decades/
- Topics: Art, Culture, Space, Technology

## Key points

- Odyssey and MRO have worked at Mars for decades.
- Their data reshaped understanding of Martian water and surface change.
- Engineers are managing ageing systems and uncertain fuel supplies.

## Summary

NASA’s Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) have operated for decades, far beyond their planned lifetimes, transforming scientists’ understanding of water and change on Mars. Their observations also support NASA’s rover missions by relaying communications to Earth, making the ageing orbiters important to both research and exploration.

Their longevity has required resilient engineering, repairs and workarounds in a harsh environment where spacecraft can be difficult to contact. MRO needed an updated star map after some stars shifted from their recorded positions, while Odyssey faces uncertainty over how much orientation fuel remains. The missions were designed with lessons from two failed Mars missions in 1999 in mind, and their teams continue to manage risks including radiation and possible failures of essential systems.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.