Incentivized Testnet Extension

Last September, we published our Wen Subspace blog post laying out Subspace’s roadmap leading up to Mainnet Beta. Since then, we have been working on implementing the final features we need to be ready for launch. This included a successful iteration of the Gemini 3g network and a detailed overview of our decoupled execution environments and staking interface in Stake Wars.

At the time of this writing, we have initiated the “Liftoff” phase of our Mini Space Race which can be thought of as a dress rehearsal for mainnet. This phase will act as a preliminary testing period to ensure all the new features are working properly.

The date we have been targeting for Mainnet Beta has been February 14. This was an aggressive target and one we believed to be achievable at the time. We also set ourselves an additional motivation to hit this date by revealing that our Gemini 3 incentivized testnet reward pool would grow by 0.1% every week it is live. The target date puts the pool at 2.4% after 24 weeks, and was an additional incentive we added for early Subspace contributors.

After careful consideration, we concluded extending the Gemini testnet and pushing out our mainnet launch is the best long-term decision for the network. This change does not come lightly, and there were many factors discussed internally that contributed to this. Ultimately, the decision came down to prioritizing a safe and feature-complete blockchain, rather than rushing the launch and jeopardizing all of the work — both from the team and community — put in since Subspace’s inception.

While we realize this news is not optimal, we are happy to share there is a silver lining to our adjusted timeline. Our Incentivized Testnet, along with its original rewards, will be extended for an additional period of time. This means the rewards pool will continue to grow by 0.1% of the total supply per week. We will be releasing further details on the extension in the future.

Looking ahead

The goal is now to launch the Mainnet Beta prior to Q3. We’re hopeful the extension of our incentivized phase, along with the testnet’s continuation after achieving Escape Velocity in the Mini Space Race, conveys our dedication to this revised schedule.

This extension will allow us to complete our planned features. It also creates an opportunity to test our Staking v1.1 engine with a Stake Wars 2 (details to follow). We hope the community understands this update, and we welcome your feedback. We’ll continue to share more about our updated launch plan and its details as we move forward.