pay·load 
(pālōd′)
(pālōd′)n.
1. The revenue-producing part of a cargo.
2.
a. The total weight of passengers and cargo that an aircraft carries or can carry.
b. The total weight of the instruments, crew, and life-support systems that a spacecraft carries or can carry.
c. The passengers, crew, instruments, or equipment carried by an aircraft, spacecraft, or rocket.
3. The explosive charge carried by a missile or contained in a bomb.