The Pectra upgrade was activated on the Holesky test network, marking a crucial phase in testing before its launch on Ethereum's mainnet.
Pectra Activation on Holesky
At 4:55 p.m. ET yesterday, the Pectra upgrade was activated on the Holesky test network, marking the first major step in stress-testing this upgrade before it reaches Ethereum’s mainnet. The activation occurred at epoch 115,968.
Network Finalization Issues
While the upgrade launched as planned, the network has yet to be finalized since activation, as revealed by the block explorer. Ethereum developers are currently investigating the root cause of this finalization issue.
Future Pectra Activation Plans
The next step for Pectra is activation on the Sepolia testnet, which is expected on March 5. However, if Holesky’s issues persist, the Sepolia launch might be delayed to allow more time for fixes and additional testing. Assuming success on both testnets, the Ethereum team would then choose a mainnet activation date, likely aiming for April.
Pectra introduces several key changes aimed at improving Ethereum's scalability and security, following the Dencun upgrade from March 2024, which significantly reduced Layer 2 fees by introducing blobs.
