How did the Soviet population react to the Space Race?

You often hear a lot about the space race from the USA side, and how great it was. However from my understanding of it, such a project was only possible due to the continued exploitation of both local Unitedstadians and people/countries abroad and its narrative is often removed from the broader context of the Cold War and the Red Scare. How was the Soviet space program understood, praised and critiqued by the broader Soviet population of the time? Specially considering how expensive and novel all the technology must have been.