<P> The term nose cone is used to refer to the forwardmost section of a rocket, guided missile or aircraft . The cone is shaped to offer minimum aerodynamic resistance . Nose cones are also designed for travel in and under water and in high - speed land vehicles . </P> <P> On a rocket vehicle it consists of a chamber or chambers in which a satellite, instruments, animals, plants, or auxiliary equipment may be carried, and an outer surface built to withstand high temperatures generated by aerodynamic heating . Much of the fundamental research related to hypersonic flight was done towards creating viable nose cone designs for the atmospheric reentry of spacecraft and ICBM reentry vehicles . </P>

What is the tip of a rocket called