It has been quite successful. I'm afraid that I cannot really answer this - this number seems very large to me. I would think most burn up in the atmosphere and few make it to the surface. The bow shock is the first barrier between the Sun and the Earth. I am most interested in the particles coming from the Sun and how and where they get into the Earth's environment and also in the processes at the shock.
Space is also full of gas and dust.
Much of this is heated by nearby stars and then these can also radiate light. This is not visible light however, it is largely infrared light. If you mean, commercial uses, then no, none that I know of, not yet. However, the Bow Shock plays a very important role in our daily lives in that it together with the Earth's magnetopause provide a protective shield around us. Without them, there would be no life here because we would be bombarded by solar particles.