Ethereum News
Rocket Pool Saturn 1 upgrade and the shift to megapools
Rocket Pool targets a mainnet launch for the Saturn 1 upgrade on October 29. This deployment follows a period where the reduction of the minipool bond to 4 ETH attracted 12,000 new node operators. The protocol also saw an 8% rebound in rETH market share. This growth relies on megapools, which use a single smart contract per node operator to manage multiple validators. This structure reduces gas costs because managing one contract is cheaper than managing many individual minipool contracts. Saturn 1 removes capacity constraints and allows node operators to run more validators.
Devnet-2 launched on May 1, 2025. It included ETH reward and capital distribution, claiming funds, a commission controller, a security council adder, over bonded credit, and oDAO penalisation of stake with guardrail. Devnet-3 went live on July 16, 2025. This release included RPIP-43, which covers Megapools stake and unstake RPL Dissolve proof, and RPIP-65, RPIP-57, RPIP-30, RPIP-60, and RPIP-61. This devnet covers the majority of the smart contract changes. Devnet-4 is in development and focuses on implementing Reward Tree v11, which includes RPL rewards calculation and voter share distribution logic. Devnet-4 will include a Houston deployment to allow testers to create minipools.
The efficiency of megapools
The reduction of the mandatory bond from 8 ETH to 4 ETH per validator significantly increases capital efficiency, as node operators can now support a much larger volume of rETH with the same amount of bonded ETH.
| Validator Type | Bond Required | Protocol ETH Matched | Commission Rate | Commission per ETH Bonded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ETH Minipool | 8 ETH | 24 ETH | 5% | 15% |
| 4 ETH Megapool | 4 ETH | 28 ETH | 5% | 35% |
The 4 ETH megapool provides a 2.3x improvement in commission per ETH bonded compared to the 8 ETH minipool. Existing node operators receive express queue tickets based on bonded ETH in legacy minipools. They receive one ticket for every 4 ETH bonded. A node operator with an 8 ETH legacy minipool gets 2 express queue tickets. These tickets facilitate migration to two 4 ETH megapool validators using the express queue. This queue processes deposits at a quicker rate than the standard queue. You know that gas costs matter when managing multiple validators, so the shift to megapools provides a practical solution.
Revenue distribution through UARS
Universal Adjustable Revenue Split (UARS) manages how the protocol distributes ETH revenue from node operator commissions. The system divides revenue among four groups. The pDAO adjusts these shares through governance. The base commission for node operators is 5%. Voter share rewards for RPL stakers account for 9%. The pDAO treasury share is 0%, but governance can change this. rETH holders receive the remaining amount. Node operators with RPL staked on their megapools earn a 9% share of protocol revenue proportional to their share of total megapool RPL staked.
RPIP-65 prioritizes rETH withdrawal liquidity by minimizing the creation of additional supply. A proportion of ETH from new rETH mints flows into the rETH contract instead of the deposit pool. The protocol maintains a buffer threshold of 1% of rETH TVL. Any excess ETH above this 1% threshold flows into the deposit pool. In a long deposit queue, node operators can dequeue their deposit in exchange for rETH.
How will the protocol handle the eventual move to Saturn 2? The Saturn 2 plan targets 4 ETH bonds for the first two validators and 1.5 ETH bonds for each subsequent validator.
Security and the staking market
The Saturn 1 upgrade is the most effective way to increase validator participation. Security remains a priority for the release. Sigma Prime, BailSec, and Spearbit/Cantina conduct the audits. These teams perform audits lasting 6 to 8 weeks. Sigma Prime began their audit first. Spearbit/Cantina started on July 28. BailSec started one week after them. The protocol includes new guardrail parameters that the pDAO controls. The MEV Penalty Guardrail limits the number of MEV penalties the oDAO applies to minipools every week. The Balance Submission Guardrail limits how often the oDAO changes the rETH exchange rate. The Protocol Upgrade Guardrails introduce a delay between a passed vote and the upgrade execution. This delay gives users time to exit the protocol if they disagree with changes. The security council also has power to veto a protocol upgrade. The Immunefi bug bounty program offers rewards up to $150,000 for critical vulnerabilities.
The Ethereum staking landscape changed in 2026. Approximately 42.7 million ETH, or nearly 35% of the supply, is currently staked. Another 2 million ETH is waiting to enter the validator set. ETH trades around $2,400. U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs accumulated $13 billion in net inflows by September 2, 2026. BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust held $8.45 billion in net assets at the beginning of September. BitMine held 5.9 million ETH, which is 4.9% of the supply, as of August 30, 2026.
The Rocket Pool validator market is distinct from centralized options. Kraken supports over 20 assets and offers bonded and flexible staking. Coinbase offers staking for over a dozen assets but charges a high commission. Binance offers ETH 2.0 staking with rewards that are higher for fixed lock-up periods. Lido is a liquid staking protocol that issues stETH. Crypto.com requires CRO staking to access competitive APYs. KuCoin supports both centralized and decentralized ETH 2.0 staking but is not licensed in the U.S.
