Cardano’s development team, Input-Output Global (IOG), has confirmed in a report on Saturday that the final node needed for the Vasil hard fork launch, node 1.35.0, has been successfully released.



“Today, we’re pleased to report that the IOG team has successfully tagged and released Cardano node 1.35.0 which we can confirm will be the final candidate for the mainnet Vasil release,” the team’s report read.



The team noted that the release of the node brings it significantly closer to the long-anticipated Cardano upgrade. According to the team, nodes are ready, and the next step is to prepare for the launch of the Vasil hard fork on the Cardano testnet.



IOG says the moment 75% of stake pool operators on the testnet have upgraded, the team will submit a testnet update proposal. Furthermore, IOG says the community should expect more information on developments this week.



The Vasil hard fork remains one of the most anticipated upgrades on the Cardano network. It is expected to usher the blockchain into a stage of increased scalability and interoperability known as the Basho phase on the network’s road map. Additionally, over 500 DApps in development expected to boost the network’s TVL and ADA valuation are waiting for the hard fork to launch.



While the upgrade was slated to go live at the end of June, it was reported by ZyCrypto on Tuesday that the upgrade has now been shifted to the end of July. The team disclosed in a blog post that the complexity of the upgrade required extra care and, as such, should not be rushed.



In anticipation of the upgrade, investors and whales have been accumulating the network’s native ADA token. As a result, ADA has been at the forefront of recent crypto market rallies with a renewed belief in the possibility of the asset clinching the $10 price point.



At the time of writing, the digital asset is trading at the $0.5 price point. It is up 4.52% in the last 24 hours and 11.45% in the last seven days, with a market cap of $17.2 billion, the 8th largest coin in the crypto market.