The real answer is that one of a kind single-launch Moon mission is not all that interesting. If you read anyone who participated in the Apollo program (enginee

The real answer is that one of a kind single-launch Moon mission is not all that interesting. If you read anyone who participated in the Apollo program (engineers or mission control people like Gene Kranz), everyone knew that the only thing that kept the program afloat was novelty. It's not there anymore. I would say JPL is way too underrated compared to the moon flights, as it's the main reason we know so much about the Solar System. Also, not a lot of tech from Apollo was reused after its termination, and this program is very similar. Original Soviet plan (orbital assembly and Venus/Mars flyby) and SpaceX's one much later were/are a lot more pragmatic, as they led to a lot more practical tech and infra even if not fully realized (orbital stations and heavy reusable launchers).