SpaceX Endorsement Sends Crypto Token Soaring by Nearly 10-Fold as Musk Unveils Surprising Brand Ambassador

Table of Contents The Asteroid Shiba (ASTEROID) cryptocurrency experienced an explosive rally exceeding 920% following Elon Musk’s public commitment to designate a Shiba Inu plush toy as SpaceX’s official mascot. This remarkable price movement originated from a touching narrative that quickly captured social media attention worldwide. The cryptocurrency takes its name from a stuffed Shiba Inu created by Liv Perrotto, a 15-year-old who lost her life following a courageous five-year fight against cancer. Her plush creation, christened Asteroid, served as a zero-gravity indicator aboard SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn expedition in September 2024. In her final days, Perrotto posed one last question to Musk: “Can you make Asteroid the mascot for SpaceX?” This heartfelt story reemerged on social platforms this week. Upon discovering it, Musk’s initial response stating “Will answer shortly” proved sufficient to catapult ASTEROID’s market capitalization from approximately $50,000 to beyond $20 million in just hours. Will answer shortly — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2026 His subsequent reply contained just one decisive word: “Ok.” This simple confirmation triggered an even more dramatic price surge. Throughout a seven-day period, ASTEROID appreciated by approximately 68,000% based on CoinGecko statistics. Daily trading volume reached $100 million during peak activity. Blockchain analytics from Lookonchain documented how one savvy trader converted roughly $1,800 in ETH into approximately $500,000 within hours after Musk’s social media post. A separate wallet maintained ASTEROID holdings for 580 days at essentially zero value, eventually witnessing around $21,000 balloon to roughly $392,000. This is the unluckiest guy I've ever seen! 80 days ago, trader 0x5811 spent $542 to buy 7.43B $ASTEROID. Just one day before $ASTEROID pumped, he sold all 7.43B $ASTEROID for $405, taking a $137 loss. Today, those 7.43B $ASTEROID are worth over $2.6M. He missed a… pic.twitter.com/xHDPp5OD8p — Lookonchain (@lookonchain) April 19, 2026 Several opportunistic traders transformed initial investments of just hundreds of dollars into returns exceeding $1 million within days. Rebecca Perrotto, Liv’s mother, expressed gratitude to Musk via X. “You didn’t just honor a young girl’s dream, you are keeping her spirit alive,” she shared. The rally didn’t benefit everyone equally. Blockchain tracking data exposed that wallet address 0x5811 acquired 7.43 billion ASTEROID tokens 80 days prior for $542. Merely 24 hours before the meteoric price increase, this wallet liquidated its complete holdings for $405 — cementing a $137 loss. Those identical tokens commanded a valuation surpassing $2.6 million the subsequent day. Lookonchain highlighted this transaction on X, characterizing it as among the most unfortunate timing they had documented. ASTEROID operates without an established development team, published roadmap, or functional product. The token possesses no verified official association with SpaceX beyond two casual social media responses from Musk. During its pinnacle, the token’s market capitalization surpassed $100 million.