I'd say yes. Obviously it's not a challenge easily solved and thus requires custom engineering and creative solutions. It's probably not a breakthrough of epic

I'd say yes. Obviously it's not a challenge easily solved and thus requires custom engineering and creative solutions. It's probably not a breakthrough of epic proportions, but it certainly educated multiple teams of young engineers to explore novel solutions, something they'll maybe have good use for later. That's how it is with challenges - they may or may not have major impact on the body of knowledge, but they all add a little at least, pushing the envelope further (think: X-Price)