Britain's historic Jodrell Bank Observatory is at risk of closure after losing its core government funding.
All scientific observations are scheduled to cease on April 1, 2028, unless alternative financial support is secured.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has stripped the observatory of its $3.6 million (£2.8 million) annual budget.
The agency is shifting resources toward initiatives expected to yield immediate commercial applications, job creation, and new industries.
The decision threatens 28 local jobs at the Cheshire facility. It also directly impacts nearly 3,000 international researchers who rely on its radio astronomy capabilities.
The cuts also eliminate UK participation in Hawaii's James Clark Maxwell Telescope. Funding for the Vera Rubin Telescope in Chile will be reduced by 20 percent.
Leadership and Scientists React
Prof Simon Garrington, associate director of the Jodrell Bank Observatory, expressed deep concern.
"It's not just because of the fantastic science that we do, but Jodrell Bank and its telescope network [have been] a national capability for nearly 70 years and a beacon for science in the north-west [of England]," he said.
Observatory officials confirmed they intend to formally challenge the funding withdrawal. They are simultaneously searching for alternative revenue streams to keep the primary telescope operational.
"It is a huge hill to climb to try to establish a new way to fund this if UKRI will not fund any of it," Garrington added.
Prominent figures across the global scientific community sharply criticized the move. Prof Catherine Heymans, Scotland's Astronomer Royal, called it "a real act of national self-harm."
Prof Michael Kramer, executive director of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, described the decision as "scientifically, technologically as well as economically short-sighted."
He warned that eliminating these facilities isolates the nation's scientific infrastructure on the global stage.
"Internationally, people will look at that and will hardly believe it. You're cutting off the radio astronomy capability in the country," Kramer said.
Former leadership at the facility emphasized the severe long-term consequences for early-career researchers.
Prof Philip Diamond, former head of Jodrell Bank, noted that the cuts remove science capability essential for the long-term health of UK radio astronomy and the Square Kilometre Array.
In response, the Cheshire East Council resolved to formally petition the Minister of State for Science to preserve funding.
UKRI is expected to release an official statement regarding the decision shortly.
