payload

American  

[pey-lohd] / ˈpeɪˌloʊd /

noun

1. the part of a cargo producing revenue or income, usually expressed in weight.

2. the number of paying passengers, as on an airplane.

3. Aerospace, Military.

   1. the bomb load, warhead, cargo, or passengers of an aircraft, a rocket, missile, etc., for delivery at a target or destination.

   2. the total complement of equipment carried by a spacecraft for the performance of a particular mission in space.

   3. the explosive energy of the warhead of a missile or of the bomb load of an aircraft.

      a payload of 50 megatons.

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payload British  

/ ˈpeɪˌləʊd /

noun

1. that part of a cargo earning revenue

2. 1. the passengers, cargo, or bombs carried by an aircraft

   2. the equipment carried by a rocket, satellite, or spacecraft

3. the explosive power of a warhead, bomb, etc, carried by a missile or aircraft

   a missile carrying a 50-megaton payload

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Etymology

Origin of payload

First recorded in 1925–30; pay ¹ + load

Explanation

Payload is what a vehicle carries. If you have a plane with a payload of one ton, then that plane can carry one ton (including you and the snacks you may bring aboard). Often, payload is estimated to be everything on board a vehicle that's worth money, or that produces income for the vehicle's owner. In the case of a commercial jet, that might be all the paying passengers. In other cases, a truck, ship, or plane's payload includes every single person and item on board, including the flight crew and fuel. From about 1936, payload frequently referred to bombs carried by a military plane or missile.

Example Sentences

The business is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS, program, which uses commercial providers to provide services, instead of building space vehicles on its own.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

The company brought in an estimated $15 billion of revenue in 2025 and is projected to generate $23.8 billion in 2026, according to a forecast from Payload, a space news and research publication.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 3, 2026

Several new missions under NASA’s Artemis plan and Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative will target the Moon.

From Salon • Dec. 29, 2023

A model for that concept is NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services, which is paying commercial providers to carry payloads to the Moon’s surface.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 29, 2023

In the meantime, ESA recently announced that the agency has already secured an opportunity for the Luna-27’s Prospect gear to fly onboard a NASA-led Commercial Lunar Payload Services flight.

From Scientific American • Apr. 25, 2022