The UNESCO-listed Jodrell Bank Observatory, home to the UK’s largest radio telescope, will cease operations in April 2028 after the UK Research and Innovation agency (UKRI) withdrew its £2.8 million annual funding. The decision, announced this week, places the future of the 81-year-old Cheshire site in jeopardy and has drawn sharp criticism from the scientific community.
Funding cuts force closure of historic observatory
The UKRI, which oversees a near-£10 billion annual budget, stated the cuts were necessary to prioritise projects with "the greatest long-term impact" amid rising research costs. Professor Michele Dougherty, executive chair of UKRI’s science and technology branch, described the decision as "tough but necessary" to achieve financial sustainability by 2029/30. The closure would eliminate 28 jobs and disrupt research for approximately 3,000 scientists who rely on the facility.
Jodrell Bank, founded in 1945, has played a pivotal role in radio astronomy, including Cold War missile monitoring and the study of distant galaxies. Its centrepiece, the Lovell telescope—one of the world’s largest—has undergone continuous upgrades, most recently as part of the e-Merlin network, which links it to six other UK telescopes to achieve Hubble Space Telescope-level resolution.
Broader impact on UK astronomy research
The funding withdrawal is part of a wider 2.7% reduction in UKRI’s budget for astronomy, nuclear, and particle physics over the next four years. Additional cuts include a 20% reduction in UK participation in Chile’s Vera Rubin Telescope, which aims to create the first "film of the universe," and reduced support for the Extremely Large Telescope, designed to search for Earth-like planets.
Scientists have condemned the decision as "scientifically misguided," warning of long-term damage to the UK’s research capabilities. Unless alternative funding is secured, observations at Jodrell Bank will end on 1 April 2028, marking the potential closure of a landmark in global astronomy.
