Cardano launches van Rossem hard fork on the mainnet! What is next for the network’s big upgrade?

Cardano has cleared another major hurdle on its journey toward the Dijkstra era, marking a pivotal step in its ongoing development. The governance proposal that initiates the van Rossem hard fork has now been submitted to the Cardano mainnet. This move is being closely watched as it brings Cardano one step closer to a significant new phase in its technical roadmap.

Transition to van Rossem begins on the mainnet

The van Rossem update is defined as a protocol hard fork positioned within this development cycle. Not only does it introduce new features, but it also paves the way for the upcoming major Dijkstra phase. The transition is ultimately expected to usher Leios, a significant scalability component, onto the Cardano mainnet. As a blockchain network specializing in smart contracts and decentralized application infrastructure, these upgrades keep Cardano at the forefront of innovation.

Hard fork processes within the Cardano ecosystem are rarely the product of a single team or a lone decision. Instead, every update delivered to the mainnet is preceded by months of rigorous testing, stakeholder coordination, technical trials, governance deliberations, infrastructure upgrades, and comprehensive reviews. Against this backdrop, the launch of the van Rossem hard fork’s initial governance step on the mainnet stands out as a landmark achievement.

May and June testnet activity delivered tangible progress

The van Rossem initiative has advanced steadily on Cardano’s mainnet throughout May and June 2026, largely through testing on the Preview and Preprod networks. These efforts primarily centered on two governance actions: updating the Plutus Cost Model parameters and launching the hard fork process itself.

The Plutus Cost Model parameter update was first implemented on the Preview testnet. Following the parameter update on April 17 and the rollout of Cardano-node-11.0.1 and db-sync-13.7.0.5 at the start of May, the Preview network upgraded to protocol version 11 on May 8. The same update took effect on the Preprod testnet as of May 16.

Mini glossary: The Plutus Cost Model is the technical framework used to calculate transaction costs for smart contracts on Cardano. Updates to this model impact contract execution resource usage and fee structure across the network.

Clearer mainnet timetable emerges

With upgrades completed on the Preview and Preprod testnets, the Plutus Cost Model update was introduced to the mainnet on May 26. Members of DReps and the Constitutional Committee approved the update on June 13. The adjustment is scheduled to take effect on June 18, 2026, at 21:45 UTC.

Following this, the first official governance step for activating the van Rossem hard fork was submitted to the Cardano mainnet. Potential approval dates have been identified as June 23, June 28, July 3, July 8, July 13, and July 18.

Of these, June 28 is currently projected as the earliest possible date for the hard fork’s implementation, provided the process proceeds at its current pace. Alternatively, stakeholders are also considering July 3, July 8, July 13, July 18, or July 23 as possible activation dates.

Additionally, it is noted that the governance step for the van Rossem hard fork on the mainnet will expire as of July 18. Whether the necessary approval will be granted by that date remains a key point of focus in Cardano’s timeline toward the Dijkstra era.

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