8 min readPublished On: May 30, 2023By

LUNA, once soaring to its peak price of nearly $120 in April 2022, faced a steep decline shortly after the Terra ecosystem faced a sudden collapse. This pivotal moment marked the unfortunate detachment of the UST stablecoin from its dollar peg, triggering an abrupt collapse of the entire Terra ecosystem, which saw the token’s price plummet significantly to well below $1. 

Unfortunately, the coin that once commanded a triple-digit price tag now finds itself with three zeros preceding its decimal point. The sudden and profound crash sent shockwaves throughout the crypto market last year, leaving numerous investors pondering the possibility of a resurgence in LUNC’s value. The future of the coin holds immense significance as it potentially unravels the tale of a failed cryptocurrency striving for redemption and growth.

Nonetheless, a resilient network emerged from the ashes, birthing Terra 2.0, while the former chain found new life as Terra Classic, accompanied by the tokens Terra Classic (LUNC) and Terra Classic USD (USTC). Hence, despite the setback, Terra remains resilient, leaving us to ponder whether Luna Classic can reclaim its former glory. The fate of Luna Classic’s recovery hinges on multiple factors, such as the burn program’s effectiveness, community support, and the pace of protocol development.

CryptocurrencyTerra Classic
Ticker SymbolLUNC
Price$0.00008826
Market Cap$506,430,111
Trading Volume$18,824,707
All-Time High$ 119.05 (Apr 5, 2022)
All-Time Low$ 0.00004295 (May 13, 2022)
*Data collected on May 29, 2023

Amidst the chaos, Terra Classic continues to thrive as it carries the torch forward under its new token name, LUNC. Remarkably, Terra Classic has garnered significant popularity and boasts one of the most vibrant communities in the crypto world. With the united efforts of its community, the question arises: Can Luna Classic recover from last year’s collapse and reach the $1 mark?

Luna’s sudden crash: What happened to Luna Classic?

The crash of Luna, the native token of the Terra blockchain platform, was a significant event that impacted the crypto ecosystem. To understand the reasons behind Luna’s crash and its subsequent recovery prospects, it is essential to delve into the background of the Terra ecosystem and its stablecoin concept.

The Terra blockchain platform was launched in April 2019, with Terraform Labs, founded by Do Kwon, leading its development. This platform introduced algorithmic stablecoins that were pegged to different fiat currencies, such as the UST stablecoin tied to the US dollar and the KRT stablecoin tied to the Korean won. Unlike traditional reserve-based models, Terra’s stablecoins didn’t require a one-to-one reserve of fiat currency to back each token in circulation. Instead, the platform relied on an algorithmic design that incorporated its native token, LUNA. This system allowed users to burn stablecoins to mint LUNA or vice versa through an arbitrage mechanism. For example, one could burn 10 UST to receive $10 worth of LUNA or burn LUNA tokens to mint an equivalent value of UST.

USTC price chart
The collapse of Terra Classic (LUNC) started when the price of the USTC stablecoin lost its $1 peg. Source: CoinCodex

Apart from Terra functioning as a payments platform for an algorithmic stablecoin designed to track the value of fiat currencies. The native token, LUNA, serves as the staking and governance asset of the Terra network. Users stake LUNA to participate in governance, become validators, and earn rewards. LUNA tokens can also be burned to mint Terra’s UST token or a stablecoin tied to a specific fiat currency. It is important to note that while these stablecoins are pegged to fiat value, they are not backed by fiat reserves. The Terra Luna cryptocurrency acts as a “counterpart” to absorb price fluctuations of Terra’s algorithmic stablecoin, terraUSD (UST).

In  2021, the Terra platform experienced significant growth, driven by the popularity of Anchor, a DeFi protocol offering high yields on Terra stablecoin deposits. Users were earning impressive annual percentage yields (APY) of about 20% on their UST deposits. As a result, the demand for Terra’s ecosystem and its tokens soared. At its peak, LUNA had a market cap of $41 billion, while UST’s market cap reached nearly $18.7 billion.

On May 9, UST became unpegged from its value against the US dollar after maintaining stability for around 18 months. This decoupling triggered a chain reaction that resulted in the collapse of UST, Terra Luna, Bitcoin, and the broader crypto sector, which is still in the process of recovering. Luna Classic (LUNC) has experienced a significant decrease in market capitalization, dropping from $1.5 billion to $595 million since the crash. Despite these challenges, investor interest in Luna Classic (LUNC) remains notable.

The algorithmic mechanism designed to maintain UST at $1 went into overdrive as users rushed to burn their UST and mint LUNA tokens. This led to hyperinflation of LUNA, resulting in its value practically becoming worthless. By the end of May, UST was trading at less than $0.03. Consequently, the Terra project split into two factions. One part of the community abandoned the algorithmic stablecoin concept and launched Terra 2.0, while the other group remained on the original platform, retaining the algorithmic stablecoins. The tokens associated with the original platform were rebranded as Luna Classic (LUNC) and TerraClassicUSD (USTC).

Luna’s price history: From soaring heights to a devastating crash

LUNC price chart
Luna Classic collapsed from an ATH of $120 to well below $1 in the span of days in April 2022. Source: CoinCodex

Since its launch in 2019, Terra Luna Classic (LUNC) has experienced a rollercoaster ride in terms of price. Initially, its value fluctuated between $0.2 and $1.3, maintaining a relatively stable range until April 2021. However, the cryptocurrency market witnessed a surge in mid-2021, leading to an unprecedented rise in the price of LUNC. Astonishingly, it came close to reaching $100 by the end of the same year.

The fortunes of LUNC took a turn in early 2022, as its price oscillated between $50 and $100. Eventually, it reached its all-time high of $119.18 on April 5, 2022. However, the subsequent month proved to be tumultuous, as the price of LUNC began a downward spiral. The Terra network ecosystem suddenly collapsed in mid-May, and LUNC plummeted to nearly zero. The catastrophic impact of the Terra crash rippled through the entire crypto market, resulting in a staggering loss of approximately $45 billion within a week.

The aftermath of the crash continues to cast a shadow of volatility over the crypto market, with LUNC remaining particularly susceptible. At the time of writing, the price of Terra Luna Classic is trading at a mere $0.00008826. The performance of LUNC following the May 2022 crash has been far from commendable. Nevertheless, the potential resurgence of LUNC could inspire renewed confidence in the market, offering hope to many other digital currencies. Let’s take a look at Luna’s price performance since the big event in 2021.

LUNC price prediction: Will Luna Classic ever again reach $1?

We have provided you with essential information about LUNC, including its historical price. To further satisfy your quest, here’s a brief forecast of what the near future may hold for LUNC.

LUNC price prediction
According to CoinCodex, the price of LUNC will decrease by -16% in the next 3 months. However, it could gain as much as +1,800% in the next 12 months. Source: CoinCodex

Based on the current Terra Classic price prediction, it is anticipated that the value of Terra Classic will decrease by -4.54% and reach $0.00008339 by June 3, 2023, according to CoinCodex. The technical indicators suggest that the sentiment as of the time of writing is Bearish, while the Fear & Greed Index indicates a neutral value of 52. 

However, the currency could see an upswing next year, with the price of LUNC potentially increasing by over +1,800% and reaching $0.001682.

Over the past 30 days, Terra Classic has experienced 12 out of 30 (40%) green days, with price volatility of 8.61%. However, if the cryptocurrency market as a whole enters a more bullish phase, the possibility of Terra Classic performing exceptionally well cannot be ruled out.

At present, it is challenging to envision a scenario where LUNC surpasses the performance of the overall cryptocurrency market. Luna Classic’s active community could prove to be its advantage, as LUNC holders are actively promoting the coin on social media platforms like Twitter. Nevertheless, for Luna Classic to regain its previous success, the project must also make substantial progress on a fundamental level.

The bottom line: Luna Classic reaching $1 is possible, but it will be difficult

Terra Classic has a promising future due to the efforts of its community to reduce the token supply and maintain its value. In addition, LUNC staking can provide an additional source of passive income for token holders. The project is focused on attracting more users and providing utility to its network for long-term growth. However, there are risks associated with investing in a project that has faced major issues, such as pump-and-dump schemes that could cause the price to plummet. 

While some believe LUNC could gain value through token burns and management, reaching $1 again seems unlikely due to the high circulating supply. Investors should monitor token burns and staking percentages for potential bullish indicators. The reaction of the Terra ecosystem and its ability to adapt to emerging trends will play a crucial role in determining whether LUNC can regain investor trust and reach $1 again. While anything is possible in the crypto world, it is doubtful that the original Terra blockchain will make a comeback at this stage. 

The forecast figures provided are generated using a prediction tool and should not be considered a guarantee. Investors are advised to conduct their own research and evaluate all factors before making any investment decisions.

About the Author: Nathan Rivers

Nathan Rivers
With a keen interest in cryptocurrencies, stocks, forex, and personal finance, Nathan dedicates his expertise to educate and empower readers seeking reliable information in the ever-evolving world of investments.

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