New Japanese satellites to observe Fukushima, Chernobyl environments

The Chernobyl reactor #4 building as of 2006, including the later-built sarcophagus and elements of the maximum-security perimeter. (Credit: Carl Montgomery, via Wikimedia Commons)

Russia has launched two Japanese satellites that will monitor environmental damage around the Fukushima and Chernobyl nuclear disaster sites, SkyNews reported.

Developed by the University of Tokyo, Hodoyoshi-3 and Hodoyoshi-4 will photograph both nuclear power plants and gather data on radiation levels and other parameters from ground-based meters. They will also monitor river levels, helping 22 Asian countries mitigate flood damage.

The 1986 Chernobyl disaster was the world’s worst civilian nuclear accident, with 30 people killed in the initial explosion and 2500 dead from radiation-related illnesses. Fukushima is still being decommissioned, a process that will likely take several decades.

Image: The Chernobyl reactor #4 building as of 2006, including the later-built sarcophagus and elements of the maximum-security perimeter. (Credit: Carl Montgomery, via Wikimedia Commons)