The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) disclosed the main tasks of the upcoming Shenzhou-23 manned spaceflight mission at a press briefing on Saturday.
The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 11:08 p.m. Sunday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, said Zhang Jingbo, spokesman of the agency.
According to Zhang, the Shenzhou-23 mission marks the seventh crewed spaceflight during the application and development phase of China’s space station, and the 40th flight of China’s manned spaceflight program.
Zhang also briefed the media on the main tasks of the mission.
“The main objectives of the mission are to complete an in-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou-21 crew, continue space science and application work, perform extravehicular activities and cargo transfer tasks, install and retrieve external payloads and equipment, conduct science education and public welfare activities, and carry out space payload tests so as to make the most of the space station. In addition, one crew member will carry out a one-year in-orbit stay experiment,” said Zhang.
According to the spokesman, after entering orbit, the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft will make a fast and autonomous rendezvous to dock with the radial port of the space station’s core module Tianhe.
“At present, the quality of the spacecraft and rocket flight products is under control, the astronaut crew is in good condition, ground system facilities and equipment are operating stably, the space station combination is in normal condition, and all conditions are met for the launch mission. The Shenzhou-21 crew will return to the Dongfeng landing site after completing the in-orbit handover with the Shenzhou-23 crew,” said Zhang.
Chinese astronauts Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying will carry out the Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceflight mission, and Zhu will be the commander, said the CMSA.
China reveals main tasks of Shenzhou-23 manned space mission
U.S. stocks closed higher on Friday, capping off a volatile trading week ahead of the Memorial Day weekend.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 294.04 points, or 0.58 percent, to finish at a new record of 50,579.70. The Standard and Poor’s 500 added 27.75 points, or 0.37 percent, to 7,473.47, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 50.87 points, or 0.19 percent, to 26,343.97.
Nine of the 11 primary Standard and Poor’s 500 sectors finished the session in positive territory. Healthcare and utilities climbed 1.19 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively. On the other hand, communication services and consumer staples paced the laggards, dropping 0.68 percent and 0.09 percent, respectively.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note shed nearly three basis points to settle around 4.56 percent on Friday afternoon, while the 30-year bond yield lost more than four basis points to trade near 5.06 percent.
U.S. consumer sentiment fell for the third straight month in May as supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continued to drive up gasoline prices.
The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index released Friday by the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers fell to 44.8 in the May 2026 survey, down from 49.8 in April and below last May’s 52.2.
In corporate news, Estee Lauder soared nearly 12 percent after the cosmetics giant announced it had terminated its pursuit of an acquisition of Spanish beauty group Puig, a decision investors cheered as a capital-preservation victory.
Meanwhile, IMAX shares jumped over 15 percent following reports that the large-format cinema company is actively exploring a potential sale of its business.
Zoom Communications surged more than 9 percent and enterprise software provider Workday advanced over 5 percent after posting strong quarterly results. Off-price apparel retailer Ross Stores gained over 8 percent on robust discount-driven consumer traffic.
Conversely, BJ’s Wholesale Club plunged 8.25 percent after warning of tightening margins, while video game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software declined 4.42 percent.
U.S. stocks close higher ahead of holiday weekend