According to reports from CoinGecko, Asteroid Shiba, an Ethereum-based meme coin built around the 'Asteroid' plush from SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission, experienced a dramatic surge of more than 137% over the past week. The token's market value briefly climbed from roughly $22 million at its weekly low to about $86 million at the peak, before cooling to around $60 million. This represents a brief addition of more than $60 million in paper value during the rally period, with the token remaining far above where it traded before the latest wave of SpaceX-linked attention.
As reported by CoinDesk, the trigger for this latest rally was SpaceX's listing of a $35 'SPACEX ASTEROID PLUSH' on its online store, marked as 'coming soon.' The company stated it expects Asteroid to 'land' in September 2025. The store page describes Asteroid as a Shiba Inu with 'the fluffiest of ears' and indicates it was designed by 'Liv P,' an honorary member of the Polaris Dawn team. The plush originally flew on the Polaris Dawn mission in September 2024 as the crew's zero-gravity indicator, which is the small object astronauts use to show when they have reached microgravity.
According to CoinDesk, Asteroid was not created as a crypto mascot but began as a real plush toy designed by Liv Perrotto, a young cancer patient and space fan who became connected to the Polaris Dawn crew through St. Jude-linked spaceflight efforts. The toy was inspired by Elon Musk's Shiba Inu, Floki, with Liv wanting the toy to help other children believe that space was not impossibly far away. Before her death in January 2025, Liv reportedly left Musk a list of questions, with the last question asking whether Asteroid could become SpaceX's official mascot. Musk later replied publicly, which helped turn the toy into a full crypto narrative.
As reported by CoinDesk, Asteroid experienced its first major rally in April 2025 after Musk's reply to Liv's question. During that initial run, one anonymous wallet turned a $575 trade into about $1.17 million in five days. The latest rally represents a continuation of this viral narrative, with the catalyst being not just social media replies but a direct SpaceX store listing, marking this as the sequel to the April explosion.
According to CoinDesk, it's important to note that SpaceX is selling the Asteroid plush but not endorsing, selling, or backing the ASTEROID token. The token has no formal ties to SpaceX, St. Jude, Musk, or Liv's family, and no verified mechanism directing token proceeds to charity. Despite these distinctions, the token now trades as a pure narrative asset, combining elements of SpaceX lore, Shiba meme culture, and emotional internet storytelling. This narrative combination has proven sufficient to add tens of millions of dollars in market value within days, though it also means the same attention that lifted it can disappear quickly.
