Musicians Sir Brian May, New Order and Jarvis Cocker have joined more 150 public figures calling on the government to save Jodrell Bank Observatory.
The government has pulled £2.8m from the Cheshire site, which houses the third-largest steerable telescope in the world, putting 28 jobs at risk.
Astronaut Tim Peake as well as actors Christopher Eccleston and Jeremy Irons have also signed an open letter, which has asked the government to reconsider the decision.
The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, TV scientist Prof Brian Cox are also among the campaigners who called the decision “profoundly depressing”.