'10-fold surge at Musk's word'...'Asteroid Shiba' designated as SpaceX mascot

▲ Asteroid Shiba (ASTEROID)/AI generated image

Elon Musk shook the virtual asset market by responding to the dream of an 11-year-old girl who passed away after battling cancer, by designating it as the official mascot of SpaceX.

According to cryptocurrency media U.Today on April 19 (local time), Elon Musk officially confirmed Asteroid Shiba (ASTEROID) as the SpaceX mascot via his social media service X (formerly Twitter). This event began in 2022 when Liv Perrotti, an 11-year-old girl battling osteosarcoma, personally designed a Shiba Inu doll wearing a spacesuit.

The doll was selected as a zero-gravity indicator during the historic Polaris Dawn mission in 2024 and actually orbited in space. After Liv Perrotti passed away, her mother revealed eight questions her daughter had wanted to ask Musk. Musk responded positively to the questions, formalizing Asteroid Shiba's mascot status.

The market reacted explosively, with related coins pouring out immediately. Tokens were competitively launched on the Solana (SOL) and Ethereum (ETH) networks. Funds were heavily concentrated on Ethereum. The market capitalization of Ethereum-based ASTEROID surged from $17 million to over $160 million in a single day.

On-chain data recorded a tragic sell-off case that drew sighs from global investors. One anonymous investor had held 1.8% of the total supply of ASTEROID for two months. Just 24 hours before Musk's response was posted, they sold off all of those holdings at a slight loss. At its peak, the value of those holdings reached $3.2 million.

This mascot designation is evaluated as a milestone that combines space science and charitable culture, going beyond a simple meme coin trend. SpaceX enhanced its corporate social value by adopting Asteroid Shiba as its official symbol. Participants in the virtual asset market are closely watching whether this craze, sparked by Musk's single word, will lead to long-term ecosystem expansion.

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