cargo bay

American  

noun

1. the large central area of the space shuttle orbiter's fuselage in which payloads and their support equipment are carried.

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Etymology

Origin of cargo bay

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

But the shuttle wasn’t delivering the module anywhere—it resided for the entirety of its existence in space within the shuttle’s cargo bay, effectively a part of the shuttle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

While the cryochamber, mess hall and winding hallways mirrored the white colors we associate with “Alien,” the cargo bay and other darker areas posed a unique challenge to recreate.

From Salon • Jul. 17, 2025

The cargo bay of a space shuttle was large enough to hold Hubble, which at 43.5 feet long and 14 feet wide is roughly the size of a school bus.

From New York Times • Sep. 29, 2022

At last she could see what the windowless cargo bay had hidden: the land crawling past with the illusory dawdle caused by altitude and parallax.

From Slate • Jul. 30, 2022

And from the size of them, a single crate would fill the cargo bay of each of the jets.

From Think Yourself to Death by Marlowe, Stephen