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Elon Musk has once again turned his attention to Dogecoin (DOGE), and this time, he says it’s “time.” On Nov. 3, the SpaceX and Tesla CEO posted a terse update on X: “It’s time.” The post came in reply to Dogecoin community member DogeDesigner (@cb_doge), who wrote: “No Highs, No Lows, Only DOGE” and shared a screenshot of Musk’s viral promise from April 2021 when he posted via X: “SpaceX is going to put a literal Dogecoin on the literal moon.”
The new remark immediately revived memories of the DOGE-1 mission — SpaceX’s first payload paid entirely in Dogecoin and widely publicized in 2021 as a symbolic and technical first for crypto in space. Back then, a single Musk tweet routinely jolted DOGE double digits within minutes; indeed, his May 9-10, 2021 posts and the accompanying press push marked the moment Dogecoin became a mainstream cultural and market phenomenon.
Yet this latest nudge landed differently. As of early Nov. 4, DOGE traded lower on the day alongside the broader crypto complex. Bitcoin and Ethereum were also red, underscoring the risk-off backdrop that muted any immediate “Musk effect.”
Market conditions help explain the non-reaction. Crypto opened November under pressure after a bruising October, with Bitcoin down roughly 2-3% over 24 hours and major altcoins deeper in the red. Macro-wise, traders are digesting hawkish commentary from the Federal Reserve and a shaky risk tone; liquidations and fading momentum have added to the drag. In that context, a single meme-coded tweet — even from Musk — was not enough to overwhelm prevailing risk aversion.
Announced in May 2021 by Geometric Energy Corporation (GEC) and SpaceX, DOGE-1 is a 12U/≈40-kg CubeSat slated to fly on a Falcon 9 as a rideshare payload. The mission has been billed as the first commercial lunar payload paid entirely in DOGE, with SpaceX executives at the time framing it as proof that crypto can function as a unit of account in space commerce. According to the original GEC release and contemporaneous reporting, DOGE-1 carries cameras and sensors intended to collect “lunar-spatial intelligence,” with integrated communications and onboard compute.
The core points from the primary sources are unambiguous. In the May 9, 2021 GEC press release: “DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon — the first-ever commercial lunar payload in history paid entirely with DOGE — will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket,” and SpaceX’s VP of Commercial Sales Tom Ochinero added, “This mission will demonstrate the application of cryptocurrency beyond Earth orbit and set the foundation for interplanetary commerce.” The same day, Musk amplified the message on X: “Mission paid for in Doge — 1st crypto in space — 1st meme in space.”
Notably, DOGE-1’s timeline has slipped from the initial Q1 2022 target, and as of 2025 it has not launched. Reputable mission trackers list the spacecraft as “not launched,” with “expected in 2025,” and note the Falcon 9 rideshare profile.
The divergence between 2021 and 2025 is instructive. In May 2021, DOGE was in the teeth of a risk-on, liquidity-rich cycle, and the DOGE-1 storyline was both novel and reflexive: tweets begat flows; flows begat higher prices; higher prices turbocharged meme engagement.
Today’s setup is different. After a rare negative October for Bitcoin, November began with further drawdowns across majors. Against that backdrop, DOGE’s intraday drop near the time of Musk’s comment is consistent with broad beta, not idiosyncratic selling. In short, the message was loud, but the market was louder.
If or when DOGE-1 receives a nailed-down launch slot — and SpaceX/GEC re-confirm payload readiness — headline hype could return to Dogecoin. But price impact will hinge less on memes and more on the macro tape — rates, liquidity, and broader crypto risk appetite — than it did in 2021.
For now, Musk’s latest line gives hope that Dogecoin’s moon mission could be starting soon, even though there is still no confirmed launch date or manifest slot from SpaceX or GEC.
