Orbiter 2023 Q1 Newsletter

5 min readFeb 24, 2023

At Orbiter, we place a high value on our community and strive to provide the best possible solutions for our users. As a team dedicated to advancing Cross-Rollup technology, we recognize that effective communication is essential. With this in mind, we are pleased to address some of the most frequently asked questions and concerns we have received from our community about Orbiter.

This Q&A article will cover topics ranging from the current status of our project to our plans for growth and development. Whether you are a long-time user or new to Orbiter, we encourage you to read on and discover how we are working to make our cross Layer2 Bridge accessible to everyone.

1. Why is Orbiter cheap?

The transfer is between the ‘Sender’ and the ‘Maker’s EOA (externally owned address) on both ‘Source’ and ‘Destination’ networks. ‘Senders’ do not directly interact with the contract address.

There is no need to mint assets for the Ethereum-native assets, so the liquidity can be totally supported in a decentralized way.

The specific mechanism of Orbiter is shown in the figure below:

Orbiter supports high-frequency cross-rollup transactions in an optimistic way, so it can be cheap and fast enough to support more cross-rollup user cases in the long term.

If you have already tested Orbiter App and viewed the transaction log on the block explorer, you will find you’ve sent funds to a Maker’s EOA address, and not to a contract’s address. That’s the remarkable difference between Orbiter and other bridge protocols.

2. Networks & Tokens & Wallets

Currently, Orbiter supports 14 networks on mainnet:

Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, zkSync Lite, Starknet, Polygon, Arbitrum Nova, Immutable X, BNB Chain, Loopring, ZKSpace, dYdX, Metis and Boba.

Others on testnet: zkSync Ero, Polygon Mumbai, Scroll and Taiko.

4 tokens: ETH, USDC, USDT and DAI.

Support Wallets: MetaMask, TallyHo, BlockWallet, WalletConnect, Coinbase, Brave(Brave Browser), Argent X(Starknet) and Braavos(Starknet).

Need more?

In the future, we will support more networks, tokens and wallets. You can jump into our discord: https://discord.gg/jRJKK8avGM to leave your suggestions.

3. Orbiter Roadmap

The active voices within the Orbiter community indicate that many individuals are particularly concerned with the question of ‘when’ Orbiter will be released.

However, prior to discussing the timeline, it would be beneficial to delve into the ‘how’ aspect. In this regard, we would like to share the 2023 Orbiter roadmap, which outlines the envisioned milestones of Orbiter’s development.

3.1 Maker System

The Maker system has been a significant focus for Orbiter as it is not only a source of bridge security but also adds to the completeness of the Orbiter ecosystem. In addition to the familiar Maker contract, OrbiterAPI and OrbiterSDK also fall under the Maker System category, providing a comprehensive suite of tools for developers.

Moreover, Orbiter provides customized dashboards and explorers for each Maker, allowing them to access a variety of useful tools and analytics to help them manage their services effectively.

By incorporating all of these components into the Maker system, Orbiter has created a self-regulatory mechanism that incentivizes Makers to provide efficient and reliable cross-rollup services. This helps to enhance the overall user experience on the network, making Orbiter a more attractive option for those seeking secure and trustworthy cross-rollup services.

3.2 Orbiter X

Orbiter X is a brand enhancement that enables the facilitation of cross-address and cross-currency bridging. This allows users to exchange their assets seamlessly without the need for complex and expensive intermediary processes.

Orbiter X provides users with a streamlined and secure platform for performing cross-chain and cross-asset transfers, backed by a robust Maker system and a decentralized cross-rollup bridge. These features make it a highly attractive option for anyone seeking to transfer assets between different networks in a fast, secure, and cost-effective manner.

3.3 When

Now it’s a good time to continue answering the ‘when’ question.

We would like to highlight that the Maker system and the newly upgraded Orbiter X have been successfully deployed on the Testnet. As we move forward with the Mainnet whitelist testing phase, our selection process is based on a combination of application mechanisms and on-chain historical behavior.

Being a whitelist user can enhance trust and credibility within the Orbiter community, as it reflects a higher level of dedication and involvement.

We understand that waiting for the public launch can be frustrating, but we ask for your patience and understanding as we work diligently to ensure that Orbiter is the best bridge possible. We believe that taking the time to conduct through testing and resolve any issues that arise is essential to delivering a high-quality product that meets the needs of our users. We want to ensure that our users have a smooth and seamless experience.

During the whitelist testing period, we will continue to gather feedback and make any necessary adjustments to the systems to ensure that they meet our high standards of quality and security.

The public launch date for Maker System and Orbiter X is expected to be around 2023 Q2-Q3, although the exact date remains uncertain. Stay updated by following our Twitter and Discord channels to ensure that you don’t miss any valuable information.

4. Innovation

Remember the roadmap from above?

Our objective is not solely to function as a Cross-Layer 2 bridge, but to serve as a fundamental infrastructure for Ethereum’s scaling. Whether we evolve into a Layer3 solution or adopt the form of a rollup, our product model remains adaptable while our guiding principle endures: to become a universal Ethereum protocol.

Orbiter’s transition to the Orbiter Protocol is marked by a significant innovation that reflects the platform’s dedication to enhancing the Ethereum ecosystem.

The new protocol is centered on Ethereum expansion and is driven by a range of cutting-edge features such as zero-knowledge algorithm, EIP-4337, recursive proofs, and message syncing. These features are designed to promote better scalability, interoperability, and security, thereby enhancing the overall usability and adoption of the Ethereum network.

What is notable about these features are not tied to a specific project. Instead, they are part of the underlying protocol, serving as a foundation for a more robust and scalable Ethereum network, and providing a more stable and sustainable framework for building decentralized applications.

Ultimately, our goal is to help reduce gas consumption across the Ethereum ecosystem, thereby making it more accessible and cost-effective for users.

By providing a more effective way to interact with Ethereum, Orbiter Protocol is positioned to play a significant role in driving the adoption of this transformative technology.

Thank you for reading. We hope this piece has provided some valuable insights. #LFG!