I can't see how attempting to peer at supposed light coming from places/things that are no longer there is of much benefit to mankind or will enable travel to the Moon, the other Planets or the Asteroid belt never mind deep space.

As far as I can see, all the benefit is going to people who're playing with their particular interest using money provided by someone else to construct their toys.

The "research" doesn't achieve anything other than "it aids our understanding of the formation of the Universe". OK, so when you've "understood", what then? How will you use that "understanding" to further travel around our own Solar System?

All technological advancements are like climbing a ladder. You can't jump steps. It would have been no use the Wright Brothers thinking of making a plane out of metal and mounting machine guns on it.

Before that was possible, advancements in internal combustion engines had to be made along with research in to aerodynamics plus the methodology, metrology, metallurgy and manipulation of metal.

At the moment, we can't even get to the edge of our own Solar System in a reasonable time so I don't see the point in wasting money on playing about looking billions upon billions of miles out in to deep space.