There are more than 5,000 confirmed exoplanets in our galaxy. That number is going to rise significantly in the next decade. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has already cataloged more than 4,000 candidate exoplanets, and the PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) is scheduled to launch in 2026.
He says, typing from a computer for which the underlying concepts were formulated long before he was born and are only now coming to fruition long after the inventors have passed.
Science and technology are never driven by an “only if I see the benefit” mentality. Progress is a gift to all mankind.