Aldrin appeared to be over the moon as the mission marked only the second time in history that a privately built spacecraft has reached the lunar sphere

Firefly Aerospace became the second U.S. company to land on the moon on Sunday with its debut Blue Ghost lander, kicking off a two-week research mission as one of a handful of private firms to reach the frontlines of a global moon race.

The second commercial landing on the moon comes amid a string of lunar exploration missions that will see around a dozen this year alone