One dealer flipped a single ETH into greater than $470,000 in just some hours. One other held a place for 580 days watching it sit close to zero, then walked away with near $392,000. Each made their cash on the identical token — a memecoin referred to as Asteroid Shiba — after a two-word reply from Elon Musk lit up crypto markets on Friday.
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Asteroid Shiba: A Want That Sparked A Frenzy
The story behind the token is in contrast to most within the memecoin world. Asteroid Shiba was impressed by an opulent Shiba Inu canine designed by Liv Perrotto, a 15-year-old lady who died after battling most cancers.
The toy wasn’t only a craft mission — it really flew aboard an area mission as a zero-gravity indicator. Earlier than she handed, Liv had one request for Musk: make Asteroid the official mascot of SpaceX.
ASTEROID went from $50K market cap to a peak of $23 Million right now. What’s it?
Asteroid is a shiba inu designed by Liv Perrotto, a 15 yr outdated lady with most cancers who tragically handed away earlier this yr.
She needed to ask Elon if he would make Asteroid into SpaceX’s mascot. pic.twitter.com/WiKocpDX9P
— Arkham (@arkham) April 17, 2026
Musk replied to the submit with three phrases — “Will reply shortly.” That was sufficient. Inside hours, the token’s market cap shot from roughly $50,000 to greater than $20 million.
Radio host Glenn Beck had shared Liv’s story publicly, drawing extensive consideration to her connection to house exploration and her want to attain Musk. As soon as Musk’s reply circulated, merchants moved quick.
At 15 years outdated, Liv Perrotto’s largest dream was to fulfill @elonmusk. She had even written out an inventory of inquiries to ask him. Her mom @rebeccaperrotto advised me that simply days earlier than she handed away from most cancers, she had an opportunity to talk with Elon, however she was too drained and… pic.twitter.com/zTRMreMFhM
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) April 16, 2026
Whales And Degens Rush In
In keeping with knowledge shared by Arkham, the token’s rise was steep and fast. Experiences point out that merchants — together with large-wallet patrons recognized in crypto circles as whales — piled in nearly instantly after Musk’s remark appeared.
Figures from Coingecko present ASTEROID exploded to over 68,000% rally within the final seven days.
State of the trenches:
Degens are betting 5-6 determine positions that Elon Musk will make $Asteroid the mascot of SpaceX https://t.co/NU3LS3kucD pic.twitter.com/RXb4gOpNh8
— Wals (@walsxbt) April 17, 2026
One dealer was described in experiences as betting a six-figure sum on the likelihood that Musk may formally undertake Asteroid as a SpaceX image. Experiences observe that the token gained additional momentum on Ethereum, the place deeper market liquidity helped gasoline the climb.
The early holder who turned $21,000 into almost $392,000 had saved that place by way of a yr and a half of near-zero returns. Timing, on this case, made all of the distinction.
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What Comes Subsequent Relies upon On One Man
The token has no product, no roadmap, and no company backing. Its whole worth is tied as to whether Musk says something extra. Experiences say the rally was pushed fully by the story round it — the emotion, the house connection, and the open query of what Musk will do.
If he follows up, the token may climb additional. If he goes quiet, the value may drop simply as quick because it rose.
As of Friday, Musk had not made any extra assertion about Asteroid or SpaceX.
On the time of writing, ASTEROID worth was down 40% within the final 24 hours, following an enormous 68,428% improve final week, knowledge from Coingecko exhibits.
Featured picture from Unsplash, chart from TradingView