Loading of propellant into the Long March 2F Y23 carrier rocket for China's upcoming Shenzhou-23 crewed mission began on Saturday at the launch site of northwest China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
Fuel loading is currently underway and is expected to be completed at 13:00.
Subsequently, oxidizer filling will follow, with all loading operations expected to conclude at 17:00.
The Shenzhou-23 spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 23:08 Sunday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Saturday.
Shenzhou-23 is the seventh crewed mission during the application and development stage of China's space station, and the 40th flight mission of the country's manned space program.
Rocket propellant loading begins for Shenzhou-23 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
