What were the explorations to east driven in part by?

The desire for wealth and luxury goods. The Far East was known to be home to a wealth of spices, silks, and other luxury goods that were highly prized in Europe. These goods could be sold for a high profit in Europe, making them a lucrative target for exploration and trade.

The spread of Christianity. The Portuguese and Spanish, who were the main European powers involved in the Age of Exploration, were driven by a desire to spread Christianity to new parts of the world. They saw exploration as an opportunity to convert new people to Christianity and expand the reach of their religious orders.

The search for a new route to the East. The Ottoman Turks had control of the traditional overland trade routes to the East, and they were often hostile to European traders. As a result, the Portuguese and Spanish sought to find a new route to the East that would avoid the Ottoman Turks and allow them to trade directly with the Asian countries.