Elon Musk Fuels ASTEROID Crypto Frenzy, Scores 500X Windfall For One Trader

Asteroid Shiba (ASTEROID) gained over 45,000% in 24 hours while Asteroid Bot (ASTEROIDBOT) rallied 15% in the same timeframe. The rally followed Elon Musk’s response to a viral post linking the token to SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission.

The move started after radio host Glenn Beck shared Liv Perrotto’s story. The teenager designed a plush Shiba Inu named Asteroid.

Musk’s Reply Ignites Speculative Trading

The Asteroid flew as the zero-gravity indicator on SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission in 2024. Perrotto passed away from cancer, leaving behind a list of unanswered questions for Musk.

Among her questions was whether Asteroid could become SpaceX’s official mascot.

Musk responded with “Will answer shortly,” and speculative traders moved within minutes. One meme coin, ASTEROID, rallied by 44,923% while another, and was trading for $0.00005668 as of this writing.

Asteroid Shiba (ASTEROID) Price Performance. Source: Coingecko

Elsewhere, blockchain analytics firm Arkham identified several traders who profited from the move.

• One swapped 1 ETH into an ASTEROID token position now worth nearly $474,000 within three hours.
• Another early buyer generated $210,000 in profit while still holding $84,000 in the token.
• A dormant holder who spent $21,390 buying ASTEROID at launch in September 2024 has not moved tokens for three months. That position is now worth roughly $370,000.

Sell-Off Risk Grows

The concentration of gains among a small number of wallets raises the prospect of a sharp correction. If early holders begin taking profit, the thin liquidity typical of low-cap meme tokens could amplify any downturn.

Meanwhile, Asteroid Bot (ASTEROIDBOT), a separate token riding the same narrative, posted a more modest 15% gain

Asteroid Bot (ASTEROIDBOT) Price Performance. Source: Coingecko

.Whether Musk’s eventual answer to Perrotto’s questions sustains or deflates the speculative interest remains the key variable for ASTEROID’s near-term direction.