Asteria registry entries are digital collectibles built on public blockchains. Like every digital collectible, they carry real risks — some technical, some legal, some simply about markets and people. This page states them plainly, so that anyone who takes part does so with clear eyes. Please read all of it before joining a sale.
Market risks#
No resale value#
There is no promise, expectation or mechanism that a token will be worth what you paid for it, or anything at all, in the future. Asteria does not support prices, buy back tokens or guarantee demand.
Illiquidity#
Even when the secondary market opens, there may be no buyer for a particular entry at any price, or only at a price far below what you paid. Selling may take a long time or may not be possible.
Currency fluctuation#
Tokens are planned to be priced and settled in a crypto-asset. The value of that crypto-asset against your local currency can move sharply, independently of anything Asteria does — so can the cost of network fees.
Technical risks#
Smart-contract bugs#
Smart contracts are software, and software can fail. A bug could lock tokens, mis-record data or be exploited by an attacker. Asteria plans an independent security audit before launch and will publish it in full — but an audit reduces risk; it does not remove it. See Smart contracts.
Chain and network risk#
The underlying blockchain could suffer congestion, outages, forks, changes to its rules or attacks. Fees can spike without warning. A network can lose support from wallets, marketplaces or developers over time. The settlement network has not been chosen yet; the choice will be explained before launch.
Media and metadata availability#
Token images, animations and metadata are planned to be stored on IPFS, a content-addressed network where a file is found by a fingerprint of its contents. Content addressing means the files cannot be silently altered — but they remain available only while at least one party continues to store ("pin") them. If every copy disappears, the token survives on-chain but its media may not load.
Security risks#
Wallet loss#
You hold your token in your own wallet. If you lose your seed phrase or private key, nobody — including Asteria — can recover your token. There is no password reset on a blockchain.
Theft and phishing#
Scammers impersonate projects with fake websites, fake support accounts, fake airdrops and fake "verification" requests. A single malicious signature can drain a wallet. Asteria will never ask for your seed phrase or private key, and will never send you a link asking you to "validate" or "sync" your wallet. Check every URL and every transaction before you sign. Read Wallets & custody before launch.
Irreversible transactions#
On-chain transactions cannot be undone. A token sent to the wrong address, or sold by mistake, is gone.
Legal and regulatory risks#
Regulatory change#
Rules for crypto-assets and digital collectibles are still developing in many countries. New laws or new interpretations could restrict how tokens are sold, held, transferred or taxed, could require changes to the marketplace, or could make it unavailable where you live.
Tax#
Buying, selling or transferring a token may have tax consequences that you are responsible for. Tax rules differ between countries and can change.
No rights in celestial bodies#
A token gives you no ownership of, or right in, any asteroid, and its Asteria name is not an official name. International law does not allow anyone to appropriate a celestial body, and official names are approved only by the International Astronomical Union. An asteroid in the registry may already have, or may later receive, an official IAU name that differs from its Asteria name. See the legal framework.
Data risks#
Scientific data can change#
Orbits are refined as new observations arrive; size and albedo estimates are revised; spectral classifications can be updated. An entry's recorded data reflects the best available information at the time it was recorded and may later differ from the latest scientific values.
Preview data#
The entries on this preview site are demo listings. Their names, data, statuses and prices are placeholders. The launch catalogue will be verified against public small-body databases before any sale, and may differ completely from what you see here.
Public, permanent records#
Blockchains are public. Your wallet address, the tokens it holds and every transaction are visible to anyone, permanently. A dedication added to a certificate may be stored on-chain or on IPFS, where it cannot be fully erased — do not include personal information you would not want published forever.
If Asteria stops#
Projects end. Asteria is designed so that a registry entry does not depend on Asteria continuing to exist:
- Tokens live on the public chain. If Asteria stops operating, your token remains in your wallet and can still be held and transferred.
- Metadata is content-addressed. The planned IPFS storage means anyone can keep a copy of the metadata and media alive, not only Asteria.
- Planned safeguards include freezing metadata once an entry is verified, pinning media with more than one independent provider, and publishing a full export of the registry so that it can be preserved by others.
What would stop: the marketplace, the owner dashboard, certificate re-generation, support and new verification. Third-party marketplaces and wallets may still display your token, but Asteria cannot guarantee it. These safeguards are plans, subject to the final technical specification.
Before you take part#
Ask yourself honestly:
- Would I be comfortable if this token were worth nothing tomorrow?
- Do I know how to secure a self-custody wallet and recognise a phishing attempt?
- Do I understand that I am acquiring a collectible registry entry, not an asteroid or an official name?
If any answer is no, wait. There is no reason to rush.