The 10,000 year clock is a relevant contemporary example. Not exactly the same situation, but similarly it's a project that won't be seen to completion by anyon

The 10,000 year clock is a relevant contemporary example. Not exactly the same situation, but similarly it's a project that won't be seen to completion by anyone involved in it (if completion means the clock working as intended for 10,000 years). Also, some of our space missions are like this, e.g. Voyager 1.