What is AstroSwap (ASTRO) crypto coin? The truth behind Cardano's forgotten DEX
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AstroSwap was launched in October 2021 as one of the earliest decentralized exchanges built on the Cardano blockchain. Promoted as Cardano’s first DEX, it promised users the ability to swap tokens directly from their wallets-no KYC, no accounts, just fast, low-cost trades. It also claimed to offer yield farming, staking with sky-high APYs, and even "galactic lotteries." But today, nearly four years later, AstroSwap exists mostly as a ghost in the crypto landscape.
What AstroSwap Actually Is
AstroSwap (ASTRO) is a token and platform designed to function as a decentralized exchange on Cardano. Its smart contract, deployed on the Ethereum-compatible layer (via a bridge), uses the address 0x72eB...Dc0C27. The total supply is capped at 10 billion ASTRO tokens. But here’s the catch: most of those tokens were never released. According to CoinMarketCap, only about 3.42 billion are in circulation. Other sources, like Holder.io, say it’s closer to 428 million. The inconsistency alone should raise red flags.At its peak, AstroSwap claimed to be the "first" DEX on Cardano. But Minswap had already launched in July 2021-three months earlier. So "first" was always a stretch. The real story isn’t about being first. It’s about being forgotten.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Look at the data, and you’ll see why no one talks about AstroSwap anymore.- Market cap: Between $5,000 and $42,000-depending on which site you check. Compare that to Minswap’s $150 million TVL, and AstroSwap looks like a rounding error.
- 24-hour trading volume: As low as $0.89. That’s less than the cost of a coffee in Dublin. Some days, it’s zero.
- Price: Around $0.000012. A few sites list it as high as $0.0471, but that’s clearly a data glitch. No real trade happens at that price.
- Token holders: Just over 30,000. Cardano has over 2.5 million active wallets. AstroSwap reached less than 1.5% of them.
Even the platform’s own website-astroswap.app-is dead. Visit it now, and you’ll get a 404 error. The official Twitter account, @AstroSwapApp, has 126 followers and hasn’t posted anything meaningful since 2022. Reddit has three scattered mentions. No one’s talking about it because no one’s using it.
What It Promised vs. What It Delivered
AstroSwap’s marketing was all flash. "Speed of light trading." "Astronomical APYs." "The future home of Cardano’s top projects." But none of it stuck.It claimed integration with ADAPad and Swapz, both of which were niche tools even at their peak. ADAPad, a launchpad for Cardano projects, had its own problems and faded quickly. Swapz? A cross-chain stablecoin tool that never gained traction. AstroSwap tied itself to sinking ships.
And then there’s the lack of audits. No reputable security firm ever published a report on AstroSwap’s smart contracts. No bug bounties. No public code reviews. In crypto, that’s a death sentence. You don’t trust a DEX without transparency.
Why It Failed
AstroSwap didn’t fail because it was badly coded. It failed because it had no reason to exist.Cardano already had Minswap and SundaeSwap-both with real liquidity, real users, and active development teams. Minswap was processing over $2 million in daily volume. AstroSwap? Less than $20. That’s not competition. That’s irrelevance.
It also didn’t solve a problem. Cardano users didn’t need another DEX. They needed better ones. AstroSwap offered nothing new: no unique features, no improved UI, no real incentives. Just a token with a space theme and a dream.
And when the hype faded, so did the team. No roadmap updates. No GitHub commits. No Discord activity. No announcements. By mid-2022, the project had gone silent. That’s not a pause. That’s an exit.
Is AstroSwap Still Tradable?
Technically, yes. CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko still list it. But "listed" doesn’t mean "liquid." You might find it on a tiny, unknown exchange that no one uses. You might even be able to buy a few tokens. But selling them? Good luck.There are no major exchanges supporting ASTRO. No Binance. No KuCoin. No Bybit. No Coinbase. Just a handful of obscure platforms with zero volume. If you bought ASTRO today, you’d be holding an asset with no exit path. That’s not investing. That’s gambling on a tombstone.
What You Should Do Instead
If you’re interested in Cardano DeFi, skip AstroSwap. Go where the activity is.- Minswap: The most used DEX on Cardano. Real volume. Active team. Regular updates.
- SundaeSwap: One of the first, still running. Strong community.
- Cardano Swap: A newer, clean interface with growing adoption.
These platforms have audits, documented roadmaps, and real user bases. They’re not marketing themselves as "interstellar"-they’re just building.
The Bigger Lesson
AstroSwap isn’t just a failed project. It’s a warning sign.Crypto is full of tokens with cool names, flashy websites, and big promises. But if there’s no volume, no community, and no updates, it’s not innovation-it’s vaporware. AstroSwap had all the trappings of a serious DeFi project. But behind the marketing, there was nothing.
Always ask: Is anyone actually using this? Are there real trades happening? Is the team still active? If the answer is no, walk away. Don’t chase the space theme. Chase the substance.
Is AstroSwap (ASTRO) still active?
No. AstroSwap has been inactive since 2022. Its website is down, social media is silent, and trading volume is nearly zero. There have been no updates, no team announcements, and no development activity in over two years.
Can I still buy AstroSwap (ASTRO) tokens?
You might find ASTRO on a few tiny, low-traffic exchanges, but it’s not listed on any major platforms. Even if you buy it, selling will be extremely difficult due to almost zero demand. Liquidity is effectively nonexistent.
Why does AstroSwap have conflicting price data?
Because there’s almost no trading, different exchanges and data aggregators pull from different sources, some of which are outdated or based on fake trades. The $0.0471 price you might see on CoinDesk is a clear data error-no real trades have occurred at that level.
Was AstroSwap really Cardano’s first DEX?
No. Minswap launched in July 2021, three months before AstroSwap’s October 2021 launch. AstroSwap was among the earliest, but never the first. The "first DEX" claim was marketing, not fact.
Is AstroSwap safe to invest in?
No. With no audits, no team activity, and zero liquidity, AstroSwap carries extreme risk. It’s not an investment-it’s a speculative gamble on a dead project. There’s no realistic path to recovery or value increase.
What happened to the AstroSwap team?
The team disappeared. After the initial launch and a short burst of promotion, all communication stopped. No GitHub updates, no Twitter replies, no Discord engagement. This is a classic sign of an abandoned project.
Final Thoughts
AstroSwap (ASTRO) was never going to be the next Uniswap. It didn’t have the team, the liquidity, or the community. It had a space theme, a bold claim, and a lot of empty promises.Today, it’s a footnote in Cardano’s history-a reminder that not every project with a whitepaper is worth your time. Look for activity, not advertising. Look for users, not buzzwords. And if something’s quiet for more than a year? It’s probably gone for good.
2 Comments
SARE Homes
November 29, 2025 at 03:34
This is such a classic crypto graveyard story. AstroSwap? More like Astro-Scam. They didn't just fail-they vanished like a ghost in a blockchain haunted house. If you bought ASTRO, congrats, you just funded a space-themed PowerPoint deck.
SHASHI SHEKHAR
November 30, 2025 at 10:39
I remember when AstroSwap launched-everyone was hyped about the "galactic lotteries" and 5000% APYs. I even staked 0.5 ADA back then 😅. But after the first month, the Discord went silent, the website started loading slowly, and then-poof-404. The real tragedy? People lost trust in Cardano DeFi because of projects like this. Minswap was already running smoothly, but AstroSwap just wanted to be the shiny spaceship while everyone else was building roads. No audits, no team updates, no liquidity. Just vibes and a logo with a rocket. 🚀💔