Interesting if you think about it. When individuals were chasing prizes and/or fame, as well as when nation states were vying for dominance, those milestones were incredibly important.
I wonder how many of VG’s customers really think it makes a difference. I bet a few do. Most likely do not.
If you are looking for a book idea, I bet there’s some interesting parallels and contrasts with earlier frontiers on air, land, and sea. The economics of what kind of patrons, what economic and political strata they were from, and the effects on progress might be interesting.
Maybe it’s because I’m a space race era kid, or because I was a sci fi fan, I think the more space flight the better, so I’m pretty positive on the concept. Anything that moves money from people who have lots of it to engineers, pilots, and makers is likely a good thing, too.