Engineers have begun drilling a shaft to rescue the 33 trapped Chilean miners, but officials are warning it will likely be Christmas before their ordeal is over.
The giant Australian-made 'Strata 950' excavator has now begun to drill a 33cm wide pilot hole.
This must then be doubled using a special drill bit to 66cm, which will be wide enough to lower a rescue capsule down to pull out the miners one by one.
The process will be painstaking and delicate, and operations at the mine could take between three to four months.
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After 25 days languishing in hot, dank conditions in the San Jose gold and copper mine, some of the miners have developed fungal infections and body sores and others are exhibiting signs of depression.
During the lengthy shaft drilling, the men will have to work in shifts around the clock to clear rocks and debris falling from above.
'They will be helping us. They will be giving us clear information on the state of the mine,' said lead engineer Jorge Sanhueza.
The final rescue at the mine, which is located 800km north of Santiago, will be at night to protect the miners from the sunlight.
It will take three to four days as each worker must be painstakingly raised over the course of one or two hours from 702 meters below.
After a request from the Chilean government, US space agency NASA said it would dispatch a team this week to help efforts to keep the miners fit and healthy.
Expertise of how astronauts deal mentally and physically with arduous space journeys could help the miners cope during the long months ahead.
