Boeing cleans its space capsule launch. Blame the Russians.

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Investors from another world will have to wait a little longer for the dramatic next step in commercial space travel: Boeing had to postpone the launch of Starliner, its reusable capsule developed with NASA on Friday.

But don’t blame the business or the weather. Blame the Russians.

Everything was on track for the unmanned Starliner to take off to the International Space Station when a Russian science module already at the ISS had a problem with its thrusters on Thursday.

The thrusters accidentally triggered while the module was connected to the ISS, shifting the station’s attitude or intended position relative to its horizon. Now the ISS astronauts need to make sure everything is in good shape before Starliner attempts to dock. The flight is now scheduled for Tuesday.

These days, NASA uses trading companies to handle the transportation of crews and cargo. The Boeings Starliner can carry seven astronauts or a mix of passengers and supplies. Elon Musks SpaceX has already made a few crew flights to the ISS.

To reach the station, SpaceX uses its own capsule and rockets. The Boeing capsule climbs atop a rocket designed and built by United Launch Alliance, or ULA, a joint venture of Boeing (ticker: BA) and Lockheed Martin (LMT).

All commercial activity represents a new era for space. NASA has always contracted with companies for parts and equipment. Boeing, for example, was instrumental in building the Saturn V rockets that took man to the moon. But the agency is now taking a more passive approach, letting companies manage parts of the process.

Space is also transformed through reuse, which reduces the costs of accessing space. A few weeks ago, Virgin Galactic (SPCE) founder Richard Branson flew in the company’s reusable spacecraft, and Amazon (AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos rode in a reusable rocket developed by his Blue Origin .

Galactic and Blue Origin are embarking on space tourism, but their launch capabilities are not yet comparable to those of SpaceX or ULA. Bezos, for example, climbed about 66 miles. The International Space Station is approximately 254 miles above sea level.

Starliner’s delay does not affect Boeing stock. Shares fell 1.2% in morning trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.3% and the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.6%.

Boeing stock rose 4.2% after posting a surprise profit on Wednesday. Better-than-expected profit margins in the company’s defense, space and security segment were part of the quarterly surprise.

Boeing stock is up about 8% year-to-date, far behind the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average gains of 18% and 15%, respectively.

Write to Al Root at [email protected]

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