"To construct the international space station, more than 100 international space flights will have been conducted on five different types of vehicles launched from four different countries."
Actually you raise an important point there. The "International" space station was partly a political device. It would have shared the work between different countries even if it cost more overall.
I know you have a patriotic view, so you may not see the point of this. But it's about building interdependencies and goodwill between potential enemy countries. As well as the benefits of sharing resources and knowledge and giving more space agencies opportunities to develop better things.
And I really don't see the harm in spending extra money on so many launches and vehicles. It can only add to the body of knowledge about spaceflight, bringing more opportunities closer, improving safety, reducing costs, etc.
If it really was all about money then there would be no ISS and no men on the moon!
