Historic Lovell radio telescope at Jodrell Bank,Cheshire, threatened by funding cuts that could end observations in Apr 2028.University of Manchester

Vast white steel structure of the Lovell Telescope rises above the landscaped grounds of Jodrell Bank Observatory in Lower Withington, Cheshire, on a bright day with strong summer sunshine and a clear blue sky. Visitors walking beneath the giant radio dish provide a sense of scale, while mature trees frame one of Britain’s most recognisable scientific landmarks. Completed in 1957, the fully steerable 76-metre telescope was conceived by physicist and radio astronomer Sir Bernard Lovell. It was the world’s largest steerable radio telescope when built and became an emblem of postwar British science and engineering. The instrument famously tracked the carrier rocket used to launch Sputnik 1 and later contributed to space-mission tracking, pulsar research and observations of radio waves from distant astronomical objects. The telescope remains part of the University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics and the UK-wide e-MERLIN radio telescope network. Jodrell Bank was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019 in recognition of its pioneering role in the development of radio astronomy. The photograph has added editorial relevance following reports in July 2026 that funding for scientific operations at Jodrell Bank is to be withdrawn. Unless replacement support is secured, observations using the Lovell Telescope and associated facilities could end in April 2028. The threat has prompted concern about the loss of national research capability, specialist employment, training opportunities and the continued scientific use of an internationally important heritage structure. The reported funding decision concerns research operations and should not automatically be described as the closure of the separate public visitor attraction.