Asteroid Shiba Gains 920% After Musk Names SpaceX Mascot, But One Trader Misses Big

A trader sold 7.43 billion Asteroid Shiba (ASTEROID) tokens for $405 just one day before the meme coin rallied over 920%, turning that same position into a $2.6 million windfall.

On-chain data from Lookonchain revealed that wallet 0x5811 had bought the tokens 80 days earlier for $542. The sale locked in a $137 loss, erasing what would have been a life-changing gain.

What Triggered the Asteroid Shiba Rally

The rally began after Elon Musk replied to eight questions left behind by Liv Perrotto, a 15-year-old who died in January after a five-year battle with cancer.

Perrotto had designed a plush Shiba Inu named Asteroid as the zero-gravity indicator for SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission in September 2024.

For her final question, she asked Musk to make Asteroid the official SpaceX mascot. He agreed.

The Asteroid Shiba price is up by almost 920%, and nearly 68,000% in the last week.

Her mother, Rebecca Perrotto, responded on X, thanking him for keeping her daughter’s memory alive.

“You didn’t just honor a young girl’s dream, you are keeping her spirit alive. Liv’s love, her laughter, her unbreakable fight lives on through Asteroid,” she wrote.

Winners, Losers, and Risk

While wallet 0x5811 missed millions, another trader turned roughly $1,800 in ETH into nearly $500,000 within hours of Musk’s post.

However, Musk’s ability to move meme coins has shown signs of fading. Previous Musk-linked rallies in tokens like GORK and KEKIUS were short-lived.

Musk himself has previously compared meme coins to gambling. ASTEROID has no product, roadmap, or team behind it. The token carries significant risk for anyone buying after the initial move.

“If you expect to win at meme coins, you’re being foolish. You’re not going to win with meme coins. Don’t sink your life savings into a meme coin,” he said in an interview with  The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.