vehicle payload definition
Payload is the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of the flight or mission, the payload of a vehicle may include cargo, passengers, flight crew, munitions, scientific instruments or experiments, or other equipment.Extra fuel, when optionally carried, is also considered part of the payload.or a ballistic missile, the payload is one or more warheads and related systems; the total weight of these systems is referred to as the throw-weight. The fraction of payload to the total liftoff weight of the air or spacecraft is known as the  payload fraction .