Cosmos (ATOM) is a so-called layer 0 protocol that aims to solve the interoperability problems of blockchains. A few months after its interblockchain communication protocol (IBC), it has just announced the launch of a new blockchain called “Sagan”.
Sagan: Cosmos’ new canary network
On October 19, the Cosmos teams held an online conference called “Cosmos Signal” to present the upcoming developments on the network.
At the end of the conference, Cosmos teased the launch of a new blockchain via a video presentation, including a quote from astronomer Carl Sagan and an image of a canary.
Named “Sagan”, in reference to the astronomer, this new blockchain will act as Cosmos’ canary network. This canary reference was first used by Polkadot (DOT) to refer to its Kusama network (KSM).
Following the same model, Sagan will act as a test blockchain for developers. The latter will then be able to test, on a large scale, their applications as well as all the workings of Cosmos.
However, it should be noted that this test blockchain cannot be compared to a testnet. Indeed, just like testnets, where all the tokens are worthless, the native token of the Sagan blockchain and all the tokens it will host will be valuable.
Cosmos announcements galore
In addition to the Sagan announcement, the Cosmos Signal conference was an opportunity for Cosmos teams to present other improvements and projects on the ecosystem.
In particular, Cosmos announced a partnership with blockchain gaming platform Forte to expand its ecosystem into this new field of application.
“With billions of gamers worldwide and immense interest around NFTs, the partnership with Forte will help propel Cosmos to a wider audience and solidify our place as a leading blockchain ecosystem. We now want to make it easier for game developers and gamers to access the Cosmos community.”
Peng Zhong, CEO of Tendermint
Cosmos partnership blockchain gaming platform Forte
In parallel, Cosmos has announced the launch of its DeFi cross-chain platform Emeris for December 2021. This platform offers farming as well as staking between the different blockchains of the Cosmos ecosystem.
Finally, Cosmos announced the launch of Interchain Security for the first quarter of 2022. This is an update to Cosmos Hub, aimed at sharing security between the different blockchains in the network.
“This is Cosmos’ long-awaited solution for shared security. It integrates IBC and proof of Stake to bootstrap economic security for new channels, while allowing Cosmos Hub holders to earn rewards across multiple channels.”
Cosmos announcement
Once all of these projects are deployed, Cosmos could well become the market’s first Layer 0. For its part, competitor Polkadot is also pulling out all the stops and has just announced the upcoming launch of parachains on its network.
