afterbody

noun4

1. •
   The afterpart of a vehicle.
2. •
   The part of a vessel abaft midships.

   • As well as could be judged by looking down through the water under the counters, there was no injury whatever to the afterbody of the ship. — 1882
3. •
   A section or piece of a launch vehicle, rocket, or spacecraft that enters the atmosphere unprotected behind the nose cone or other body that is protected for entry.

   • However, turbulent flow along the vehicle afterbody can under some conditions produce a comparable or greater heat flux. — 2004
4. •
   A companion body that trails a satellite or spacecraft.