Rocket Pool community members voted in late September and early October 2026 to approve RPIP-71, which introduces new liquidity mechanisms for rETH withdrawals. The proposal allows the protocol to trigger random exits from megapools to facilitate redemptions, ensuring no single operator is solely responsible for funding exits. These processes will follow the standard Ethereum exit queue.
The community rejected proposals to change the 4 ETH bond requirement for megapool validators. Options to adjust the bond to 1.5 ETH or 6 ETH were both voted down, maintaining the requirement established during the Saturn 1 upgrade in February 2026. Additionally, the proposal RPIP-85, which aimed to expand onchain governance, was deferred, keeping Snapshot as the primary signaling venue.
The upcoming Saturn 2 upgrade package also includes RPIP-73 for validator underperformance protection, alongside RPIP-44 and RPIP-80, which provide tools for forced validator exits. As of October 12, 2026, the network supported approximately 315,605 rETH, 18,000 validators, and 1,414 node operators.
Development of the Saturn 2 upgrade is currently in progress, with an initial devnet launch anticipated for late October 2026. Deployment to the mainnet is under discussion for 2027, subject to final ratification of the full upgrade package.
