The Cardano network reached a major milestone with the submission of the van Rossem hard fork initiation action on mainnet, moving the blockchain closer to Protocol Version 11. This intra-era upgrade introduces new functionalities and prepares the groundwork for the upcoming Dijkstra era, which will eventually bring Leios to enhance scalability.
Intersect, the development organization behind Cardano, confirmed that the governance action was filed on June 16 during Epoch 637. The proposal, listed on Gov.tools, aims to implement Protocol Version 11 known as the van Rossem hard fork. Unlike a full era change, this is an intra-era upgrade that adds features while minimizing disruption for wallets, exchanges, stake pool operators, and decentralized applications.
Following extensive testing on the Preview and Preprod networks, the mainnet now enters a ratification phase. The Plutus Cost Model update, submitted and ratified on May 26, is set to take effect on June 18 at 21:45 UTC. The van Rossem upgrade also builds the foundation for Dijkstra, the next major era in Cardano’s roadmap, which is expected to introduce Leios for higher throughput.
The hard fork is named after Max van Rossem, a respected community member who passed away in October 2025. The naming proposal received 83.62% support from DReps and 4.44 billion ADA. The inclusion of his name in the metadata honors his contributions as a developer, stake pool operator, and delegate.
Now, the governance timeline will determine activation. Potential ratification dates are June 23, 28, July 3, 8, 13, and 18. If ratified quickly, enactment could occur as early as June 28, with other possible dates including July 3, 8, 13, 18, and 23. The action expires on July 18, giving stakeholders a limited window to finalize the process.
This milestone tests Cardano’s on-chain governance system amid ongoing debates over research funding and treasury spending. The successful implementation would mark a significant step in the network’s evolution toward greater decentralization and scalability.