UK's famous space observatory Jodrell Bank faces uncertain future

A giant telescope in north-west England that helps scientists study deep space could be forced to stop its research work unless new funding is found.

Jodrell Bank Observatory is home to the Lovell Telescope - the UK's largest telescope - and has played an important role in space science for nearly 70 years.

The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) agency which gives the observatory its funding says it has had to cut Jodrell Bank's yearly £2.8 million budget because of rising research costs for physics and the running of its labs.

It added it's focusing investment on projects that deliver "the greatest long-term impact".

Professor Tim O'Brien, Director at Jodrell Bank, told BBC Newsround of his disappointment following the decision, adding that: "25,000 school pupils visit the site each year on school trips or educational visits."

Noting that he had visited the site as a child too, he said that: "Many scientists had been inspired by their visits as children."

Jodrell Bank was first set up in 1945 and became an important place for radio astronomy, which means studying space using radio waves instead of visible light.

In 2019, it was made a Unesco World Heritage Site. That means it is recognised internationally as a place of special importance.

The observatory is home to the Lovell Telescope, it has been operating since 1957 and is one of the most famous science instruments in the UK.

The telescope is a huge white dish, 76 metres wide, which is about the length of 16 cars parked in a line.

It does not work like the kind of telescope you might use to look at the Moon. You do not look through it with your eye. Instead, the Lovell Telescope is a radio telescope. That means it collects invisible radio waves that travel through space.

These waves can come from stars, galaxies, black holes and other objects billions of miles away. Scientists study the signals to learn more about how the Universe works.

Tim O'Brien says that the telescope is special because "for 70 years it has been continuously upgraded" and "made more powerful".

Today, the Lovell Telescope and other Jodrell Bank telescopes can also help monitor objects in orbit around Earth, such as satellites and space debris.

Space debris means bits of old rockets or broken satellites, which can be dangerous if they crash into working spacecraft.

All scientific observations at Jodrell are expected to end on the 1 April 2028 unless alternative funding can be found.

Tim O'Brien told Newsround that he is uncertain of what that will mean for the equipment on site, explaining that the funding is used to pay for "people to maintain the telescopes", with the equipment likely to be "mothballed", meaning its telescopes will stop doing everyday science work, but kept safe so they might be used again in the future.

Prof Brian Cox, professor of particle physics at the University of Manchester - which works with Jodrell Bank Observatory - described the cuts as "hasty and ill-considered".

"The damage to the UK's science base has already been substantial. I am astonished that UKRI are still ploughing ahead and not working with the Burnham government to find a solution," he said.

Tim O'Brien says there was still a "window of opportunity" to find alternative funding before the end of March 2028.

He told Newsround the appointment of Andy Burnham as prime minister could lead to further "discussions" about Jodrell Bank's future, as Mr Burnham has previously visited the observatory.

"Potentially, he remembers us fondly," Mr O'Brien added.

The BBC has contacted the UK government for a comment.