The Question is who is paying.
In this case taxpayers via NASA.
(I presume Boeing and TheMouthX are paying too, old explorers like Columbus probably received both government support (dictated by Kings) and donations (wealthy individuals).
For Columbus motivated by trying to find a shorter transportation route to good things from the Orient, recall spices came from the Orient/SE Asia by land using pass-along trading until reaching the Atlantic Ocean or by the very long route around Africa.
With ignorance - the American continents got in the way of Columbus. Later an explorer found a way around the bottom of South America, IIRC in secret.)