Space exploration is always "pork barreling". It's just a quest of where to send the insane amount of money. Putting it all with Elon Musk isn't exactly the free enterprise way either.
Is it that different? You're pouring hundreds of millions into a single private company, enriching its share holders, and some of the money is making its way through various state's industries.
There's just less of a democratic process behind distributing the taxpayer's money.
