There are clearly government missions. But a small technology mission, proving a concept, is something we can try. And having a sponsor willing to take the risk, while giving the public a benefit that they can promote as part of their commercial development made our trial possible. Flying back and forth between the planets either requires lots of fuel or a sail type spacecraft which uses no fuel but can tack back and forth in interplanetary space without dependence on narrow planetary alignment geometries. This is the concept of the interplanetary shuttle.
Interstellar flight is certainly more than a century away.
But the most promising technology that has been identified for its execution is space sailing using highly focused, powerful lasers for light pressure instead of the Sun. The sails would be enormous, and much thinner than the heavy 5 micron thick sail we are contemplating for our flight. But our flight will be the first step on the pathway to the stars. From the Wright flyer to the supersonic transport was less than a century. The Planetary Society, 2000-2001.