Cardano co‑founder Charles Hoskinson stirred the community with a brief, cryptic post suggesting the privacy‑focused Midnight chain may be ready to launch. In a recent message on X, Hoskinson asked his more than one million followers, “Who is ready for Midnight?” and attached a five‑minute clip of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield’s 2013 performance aboard the International Space Station set to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”
The choice of the song and footage underscored themes of exploration and transition, framing Midnight as Cardano’s move into programmable privacy. The minimalist post and evocative imagery prompted widespread anticipation that a major milestone is imminent; the Midnight mainnet launch is expected later this month, though no official date has been announced.
Hoskinson’s post quickly went viral, accruing tens of thousands of views and more than a thousand likes. Members of the Cardano ecosystem, including Input Output Global, publicly signaled readiness, adding momentum to launch expectations.
Midnight aims to deliver privacy and regulatory compliance for decentralized applications by using zero‑knowledge proofs and operating as a partner chain to Cardano’s smart contract platform. The project has announced strategic partnerships with major platforms, including Google and Telegram, and revealed that firms such as Worldpay and Bullish will run federated nodes for the network.
Midnight’s native token, NIGHT, is trading on major exchanges. In the 24 hours before publication, NIGHT reached about $0.04768. Its market capitalization has fallen from above $1 billion shortly after its December debut to roughly $789 million, according to CoinGecko.
