payload
PAY-lohd
/ˈpeɪləʊd/
The carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, measured by weight; specifically, the cargo, passengers, or instruments that generate revenue or fulfill the mission.
Excludes the weight of the vehicle itself, its fuel, and its crew, focusing only on what is being transported.
The story behind the word. Coined in the early 20th century in the shipping and trucking industries, this compound word literally meant the 'load' that brings in 'pay' (revenue). When rocketry and aviation took off, the term was adopted to distinguish scientific instruments and passengers from the dead weight of fuel and metal.
Word relationships
- cargo: Cargo refers generally to goods carried, while payload specifically denotes the portion of a vehicle's load that is active, productive, or revenue-generating.
Commonly confused with
- tare weight: Tare weight is the weight of an empty vehicle, whereas payload is the weight of the cargo it carries.
Word family
- payloads (noun): Plural form of payload.
Collocations
- maximum payload
- payload capacity
- scientific payload
Example sentences
- "The rocket's primary payload consisted of three commercial telecommunications satellites and a small climate-monitoring sensor." Satellite launch operations
- "The transport plane has a maximum payload of 150,000 pounds, allowing it to carry two main battle tanks." Military logistics
Memory hook
The part of the LOAD that pays for the mission is the PAYLOAD. The active cargo.
When not to use
Do not use to describe the weight of the fuel or the structural components of the rocket.
Fun facts
- For most orbital rockets, the payload makes up only about 2% to 4% of the total weight at launch; the rest is almost entirely fuel.
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