Stephanie Douse 
Ethereum’s Testnet Ropsten launched its Proof-of-Stake beacon chain which is likely to merge with the Testnet on June 8
Ropsten Beacon Chain Successfully Launched
Today, Ropsten, Ethereum’s only Proof-of-Work testnet, launched its Proof-of-Stake beacon chain. On June 8, the two are likely to unite.
Today, the Ropsten Testnet debuted its own beacon chain. The launch puts Ethereum one step closer to its shift from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake, which has been dubbed the “Merge” in the crypto community.
Preston Van Loon, an Ethereum engineer, stated on Twitter on May 18 that the Ropsten Testnet would merge with its beacon chain on June 8, calling it a “major milestone” toward the Ethereum mainnet’s fusion with its own beacon chain.
What Is Ethereum’s Only Proof-of-Work Testnet About?
The Ropsten Testnet, which was launched in 2016 and is named after a Stockholm metro station, is widely regarded as one of the most accurate replicas of the Ethereum mainnet.
Because of the strong likeness, developers can run realistic testing before deploying improvements to the mainnet. On the network, more than 10 million ERC-20 testnet tokens have been issued.
Ropsten is unique in that it is Ethereum’s only Proof-of-Work testnet, faithfully simulating any gas charge fluctuations that developers or users would encounter on the Ethereum mainnet.
The mainnet’s transition would be aided if Ropsten’s Proof-of-Work testnet and Proof-of-Stake beacon chain could be successfully integrated.
Mainnet Integration Scheduled Go Live In August
The mainnet integration is tentatively scheduled for August, according to Van Loon. However, Ethereum developer and co-founder Vitalik Buterin has been more cautious, saying it could happen in September or October.
On May 30, 2022, around 15:00 UTC, the beacon chain scanner displays Ropsten’s first few blocks being generated. The graffiti “Lodestar-v0.37.0-dev.2883368c84” appears in the first validated block.
The debut of Ropsten’s beacon chain comes just five days after Ethereum’s own beacon chain had a seven-block rearrangement, which developers believe was caused by known vulnerabilities and out-of-date client software.