Robot starts mission to retrieve melted fuel at Fukushima

An extendable robot began a two-week mission on September 10, 2024, to retrieve melted fuel debris from one of the damaged reactors at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. This marks the first sample collection since the 2011 disaster, where 880 tons of radioactive fuel remain. The mission follows a delay due to equipment misconfiguration. The cleanup is projected to take 30 to 40 years, with no specific removal plans yet established.