The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) welcomes the support of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), which has expressed “deep concern” and “alarm” about proposed funding cuts to astronomy and space science in the UK.
In a letter to senior UK political figures, including Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, the AAS said it would "stand ready to support our UK colleagues”.
It added: “These prospective reductions would not only affect the United Kingdom’s standing as a global leader in astronomical research; they would diminish the capacity of the entire international scientific community.”
The AAS acknowledged that public spending constraints mean the UK government is forced to “make difficult choices”, but cautioned of “the risk of weakening the early-career pipeline and leaving major facility investments under-exploited”.
"We would welcome steps that protect core research capability and sustain the people and programs that translate international participation into global leadership,” the Society added.
The AAS also sent the letter to Dame Chi Onwurah, Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee, Lord Vallance, Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, Lord Mair, Chair of the Science and Innovation Committee, and Professor Sir Ian Chapman, Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
RAS President Professor Mike Lockwood said: "We greatly appreciate the AAS expressing their support for UK astronomy and their concern about the damage the present funding crisis is already doing, not only to astronomy in the UK but also to the nation's technical skills base and wealth-creation potential.
“By briefly reviewing both our distinguished history in and our current importance to the field, the AAS make the compelling point that it is not just the UK that will suffer, but also humankind's global effort to explain the most fundamental questions about the cosmos.”
A copy of the letter is included below…
On behalf of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the principal professional organization of astronomers in the United States, I am writing to express my deep concern regarding reports of significant reductions to UK support for astronomy and space science through the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
First, the AAS wishes to acknowledge the extraordinary past contributions to advancing humanity’s understanding of the cosmos on which the UK’s scientific excellence builds.
From the foundational work of Newton, Halley, and both Herschels, through the landmark discoveries of Eddington, Hawking, and Bell Burnell, your scientific community has over centuries established the pillars of humanity’s oldest science and shaped the framework through which we comprehend the Universe.
That legacy continues today: UK astronomers and space scientists are among the world’s most influential and highly cited leaders in astrophysics, planetary science, instrumentation, and, especially now, data-intensive discovery.
The forthcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA), headquartered in the UK, may produce more raw data in one week than the sum total of all data collected in human history, and its leaders in the UK are poised to convert the coming AI-driven revolution in exabyte-scale data into the greatest cosmic discoveries of this century and beyond.
Your astronomical and space sciences community are indeed poised to be instrumental for the success of the UK’s AI for Science strategy, helping ensure that UK science gains from (rather than merely adapting to) the new AI landscape, with consequent benefits to the UK’s economic strength and global leadership.
We are therefore alarmed by reports that, in early 2026, the STFC communicated planning assumptions that could reduce the combined budget for astronomy, particle physics, and nuclear physics by roughly 30%, and asked project teams to plan for scenarios involving reductions of up to 60%.
Even the process of planning for such substantial cuts risks irreversible loss of scientific and technical talent. Should such cuts be enacted, they would curtail PhD and postdoctoral opportunities and drive talented early-career researchers out of UK science, resulting in severe and long-lasting impacts to the nation’s STEM workforce. Moreover, such cuts would undermine the UK’s ability to realize the scientific return on its substantial investments in major international facilities and missions.
The United States and the United Kingdom share one of the most productive and enduring scientific partnerships in the history of astronomy.
UK scientists and engineers provided scientific leadership and led the European consortium that built the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) aboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an instrument now transforming our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres and the most distant galaxies. UK researchers have also played critical roles in the Solar Orbiter and Cassini–Huygens missions, and the UK contributed key technology to NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), launched this past September.
The UK and US also benefitted for many years from a productive partnership in the twin telescope Gemini Observatory, and are now partnering again in the context of surveys with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Beyond these flagship efforts, the daily reality of modern astronomy is deep transatlantic integration: American and UK scientists co-author papers, co-lead survey teams, share data, train each other’s students, and together push the boundaries of knowledge.
These prospective reductions would not only affect the United Kingdom’s standing as a global leader in astronomical research; they would diminish the capacity of the entire international scientific community. Beyond hosting the global headquarters of the SKA Observatory, the UK is a longstanding Member State of the European Southern Observatory, one of the most productive and impactful scientific endeavours on the planet.
The scientific return on these major commitments depends on sustained support for the researchers, students, and instrument and data teams who turn facility access into discovery. If that capacity is hollowed out, the loss will be felt well beyond the UK – in laboratories, universities, and observatories around the world, including our own.
We recognize that governments must make difficult choices, and that public spending faces real constraints. For that reason, we respectfully urge that any decisions affecting STFC support for astronomy and space science be guided by a clear assessment of the long-term scientific, economic, and strategic costs, particularly the risk of weakening the early-career pipeline and leaving major facility investments under-exploited.
We would welcome steps that protect core research capability and sustain the people and programs that translate international participation into global leadership.
The partnership between our two nations in exploring the Universe is deep and far-reaching and has led to world-leading discoveries and scientific advances. The AAS looks forward to sustaining and building on this special relationship, and we stand ready to support our UK colleagues and to be constructive partners in any discussions that may be helpful.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Dara Norman
President, American Astronomical Society
ENDS
Media contacts
Sam Tonkin
Royal Astronomical Society
Mob: +44 (0)7802 877 700
Dr Robert Massey
Royal Astronomical Society
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Notes for editors
About the Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science.
The RAS organises scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, recognises outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its more than 4,000 members (Fellows), a third based overseas, include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as well as historians of astronomy and others.
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