The future of the United Kingdom's historic Lovell radio telescope is uncertain following a decision by the British government to cut its funding. The U.K. Research and Innovation (UKRI) announced Monday that it will cease public funding for the telescope, a significant instrument at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in northwest England, after March 2028.
The Lovell telescope, a prominent landmark with a 250-foot-wide (76-meter-wide) parabolic dish, has been a key facility for exploring the cosmos for nearly 70 years. It is part of the e-Merlin network of seven radio telescopes across the country, all connected to the Jodrell Bank astrophysics center.
UKRI stated that the decision followed a "rigorous prioritization process to focus investment on the areas that will deliver the greatest long-term scientific capability, impact and value for the U.K." The agency will not provide public funding for the telescope array beyond March 2028.
Scientists have expressed dismay over the funding cut. Brian Cox, a particle physicist at the University of Manchester, described the cuts as "devastating and irreversible." Paul Howarth, president of the Institute of Physics, called the recent reductions in physics funding, including at Jodrell Bank, a "terrible blow to the scientific community" and urged the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, to reconsider.
"For the sake of U.K. physics and our national reputation as a place to do science, conduct research and innovate, we would urge the new government to review this ruinous set of decisions," Howarth said.
The University of Manchester, which operates e-Merlin, is actively seeking alternative funding from businesses, government sources, or charities. However, Sarah Sharples, the university's dean of science and engineering, cautioned that without these new funds, the Lovell Telescope risks not being an actively functioning scientific facility for radio astronomy after March 2028.
Since its completion in 1957, the Lovell telescope has made significant contributions to radio astronomy. It tracked the Soviet Union's Sputnik satellite, received the first images from the moon's surface in 1966, and has aided scientists in discovering distant galaxies, studying black holes, quasars, pulsars, and gravitational lenses. During the Cold War, it also served as an early-warning system for Soviet missiles.
The Jodrell Bank engagement center, which is open to the public and has been visited by many schoolchildren, is not affected by these funding cuts.