THE future of Cheshire’s world-famous Jodrell Bank observatory is looking brighter after the government pledged to continue to fund the centre’s key projects.
The Goostrey landmark, which boasts the famous Grade One-listed Lovell Telescope, faced the axe under the Science and Technology Funding Council’s (STFC) plans to cut £80m from its £670 annual space science and astronomy budget.
But after a meeting at the Daresbury Laboratory, the council has agreed to part-fund an upgrade to the Merlin project, based at Jodrell Bank, that would keep the telescope going for another decade or more.
The deal comes as a STFC announced a three-year £1.975 billion funding programme to maintain the UK’s scientific leadership in physics and astronomy.
For the full story see next week’s Chronicle, on sale on Wednesday.
