Robot Begins Fuel Sample Retrieval at Fukushima

A specialized extendable robot has begun a crucial two-week mission to retrieve a sample of melted fuel debris from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant's Unit 2 reactor. This operation, marking the start of the most challenging phase in the plant's decades-long decommissioning process, aims to collect a small fragment of the highly radioactive material left from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. The mission, initially scheduled for August 22, was delayed due to technical issues with the equipment setup, which have since been resolved. The robot, nicknamed 'telesco,' will remotely collect less than 0.1 ounces of the debris using its extendable arm. TEPCO and government officials have emphasized the significance of this operation as a critical step toward the plant's cleanup, which is expected to take 30 to 40 years. The total estimated amount of molten fuel debris in the reactors is around 880 tons.