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Developers of Ethereum have launched Bellatrix, an update designed to prepare the Beacon Chain for The Merge.
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Today at 11:34 UTC, the Bellatrix update went live on the Beacon Chain at epoch 144896. Before implementing the Bellatrix upgrade, all Ethereum nodes had to update their client software versions.
welcome to the world, Bellatrix pic.twitter.com/q31itowPbR
— trent.eth (@trent_vanepps) September 6, 2022
On many slots, “Welcome to the New Beginning” was included in the graffiti or words from validators onto the blockchain. This is the phrase in the fourth block once the Beacon Chain went live.
The Beacon Chain has operated as a rival proof-of-stake network to Ethereum, allowing users to stake ether (ETH). Bellatrix was the penultimate phase before The Merge, which would unite the Beacon Chain with the main blockchain.
Although Bellatrix is not The Merge, it is a crucial step in preparing the Beacon Chain for the consensus switch. The Bellatrix update was the hard fork upgrade that included the execution payload parameter, previously absent from the Beacon Chain. This option is necessary for validators to initiate the creation of mainnet blocks.
Paris is the final phase to initiate The Merge. Beacon Chain (consensus layer) validators will take over from proof-of-work miners to begin securing blocks on Ethereum’s mainnet.
Previously, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin announced on Twitter that the Merge was scheduled between Sept. 13 to Sept. 15.
The merge is still expected to happen around Sep 13-15. What’s happening today is the Bellatrix hard fork, which *prepares* the chain for the merge. Still important though – make sure to update your clients!
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) September 6, 2022
The precise timing of the upgrade will depend on when the proof-of-work Ethereum mainnet reaches a certain on-chain measure, known as the Total Difficulty Terminal, of 5875,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.