Jodrell Bank’s Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands
According to information obtained by the BBC, Jodrell Bank Observatory, which has hosted Britain’s largest telescope for nearly 70 years, has lost its funding and may now close.
The observatory and telescope network has been crucial to the country’s study of distant galaxies and the training of future astronomers. Scientists called the decision “heartbreaking” and “scientifically misguided.”
All scientific observations at Jodrell are expected to end on April 1, 2028, unless alternative funding can be found.
The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) agency, the funding body, said it should focus investments on projects that deliver the “greatest long-term impact”.
The site was first established in 1945 and pioneered radio astronomy and the study of galaxies beyond our own.
It was also very important during the Cold War, when it was used to track Soviet missiles when nuclear tensions between the USSR and NATO powers were high.
Its contribution to global scientific work earned Unesco World Heritage status in 2019.
But UKRI, which has an annual budget of just under £10bn, says it has been forced to cut the observatory’s £2.8m annual budget due to rising research costs in physics and planned for running the laboratories.
UKRI has placed greater emphasis on funding research it believes has greater potential to create new industries and maintain research positions.
The announcement is just one of many deep cuts to ongoing astronomy projects.
The UK will no longer participate in research at the James Clark Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii, which scientists use to image supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies.
There will also be a 20% cut in funding supporting the UK’s participation in the Vera Rubin Telescope in Chile, which created the universe’s first film; The project was started just last year.
Professor Michele Dougherty, executive chair of UKRI’s science and technology branch, said: “After listening to our community, we have protected basic discovery research. But the situation requires some difficult but necessary decisions.
“These are never easy choices, but we have made what we think are the right decisions to put STFC in a sustainable financial position by 2029/30.”
