'Act of national self-harm': Observatory home to UK's largest telescope facing closure after research funding cut
Scientists have warned all observations could stop from 1 April 2028 unless alternative funding is found
Jodrell Bank Observatory - home to the UK's largest telescope - could close in 2028 after its government funding was slashed, putting jobs and decades of British space research at risk.
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The Cheshire site is a key part of the UK’s national radio astronomy network.
But UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) said it will withdraw support for the e-Merlin telescope network when its current agreement ends on 31 March 2028.
Scientists have warned all observations could stop from 1 April 2028 unless alternative funding is found.
Twenty-eight jobs are under threat at Jodrell Bank, while nearly 3,000 researchers who use the facility could be affected.
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Professor Simon Garrington, associate director of the observatory, said staff were “devastated”.
He said: “Withdrawing the funding from e-Merlin effectively pulls the rug out from under Jodrell Bank.”
The observatory has helped researchers study distant galaxies, black holes, planets beyond the solar system and the aftermath of the Big Bang since it was founded in 1945.
It also played a role during the Cold War by monitoring Soviet missile activity, and was awarded Unesco World Heritage status in 2019.
The cuts form part of a wider squeeze on UK science funding, with hundreds of jobs expected to go across astronomy, nuclear and particle physics projects.
UKRI, which has an annual budget of just under £10bn, said it must prioritise projects offering the “greatest long-term impact” after research and operating costs rose.
Professor Brian Cox, of the University of Manchester, which hosts Jodrell Bank, branded the decision “hasty and ill-considered”.
He said the cuts risk causing “devastating and irreversible” damage to the UK’s scientific base.
Other projects hit include the Rubin Observatory in Chile, the Next-Generation Transit Survey and the UK’s involvement in instruments for the Extremely Large Telescope.
Professor Catherine Heymans, Scotland’s Astronomer Royal, called the decision “a real act of national self-harm”.
Jodrell Bank leaders say they will challenge the decision and explore alternative funding, including possible work tracking satellites and space debris.