Ship Parts
Every ship is made up of multiple parts. Each part takes up one column of the ship, and certain types of parts have unique behaviors.
Types of Ship Parts
Cockpit
The cockpit is where the pilot(s) are, probably. All player ships have a cockpit. Most enemy ships also have a cockpit, but there are some that don't.
On Hard difficulty or above, the player's cockpit will be Weak by default, meaning it will take +1 damage from all attacks. On Hardest, it will be Brittle instead, taking double damage. This adds an extra challenge to positioning, as you'll want to avoid getting hit in your weak spot. The Tridimensional Cockpit boss artifact can circumvent this, since it makes your cockpit an Empty part.
With the Cockpit Lock-On artifact, all enemy cockpits will be Weak by default.
Cannon
The cannon is where all attacks come out of, usually. All player ships have one cannon, with some exceptions. The Ares and Gemini both have two separate cannons which they can switch between. The Jupiter has no cannons and instead channels its attacks through Jupiter Drones. Nearly all enemy ships have at least one cannon, and many have multiple of them.
When the player plays a card with an attack, that attack will fire out of their cannon and hit whatever is directly in front of it, whether it be a midrow object or an enemy ship part. If the player has multiple cannons active at once when they attack, all of their cannons will fire that attack once at a time, from left to right.
Enemy cannons behave similarly, the main difference being that their attacks are telegraphed and highlight the corresponding lane in red. Unlike player ships with multiple cannons, the cannons on enemy ships will make attacks separately, rather than all echoing the same attack. On the enemy's turn, all of their attacking cannons will fire from left to right. A few enemies have the ability to fire attacks out of non-cannon parts--even Empty parts.
With the Glass Cannon boss artifact, the player's cannon(s) become Weak. This does not apply to inactive cannons on the Ares and Gemini.
Missile Bay
The missile bay is where midrow objects such as missiles & drones are launched from. All player ships have one missile bay, except for the Gemini which has two missile bays that it can switch between. Some enemy ships also have missile bays.
When the player launches an object, it is released into the midrow on the same lane as their missile bay. Some cards will launch objects at an offset position from the missile bay. Enemies are not capable of this, although some enemies are able to launch objects from cannons or other parts that aren't a missile bay.
With the Armored Bay artifact, the player's missile bay(s) become Armored and take -1 damage from attacks. This does also apply to the inactive missile bay on the Gemini.
Comms
Comms is a part only seen on the Jupiter ship. It is Weak by default, regardless of difficulty. Other than that, it has no innate effects or properties.
With the Radar Subwoofer artifact (exclusive to the Jupiter), the Comms will boost the attack of any Jupiter Drone in front of it by +1.
Wings
The wings probably help make ships move better, although they aren't necessary parts on all ships and don't have any impact on gameplay by themselves. Of the player-controlled ships, the Artemis, Jupiter and Tiderunner are the only ones to have wings. Many enemy ships also have wings.
With the Hunter Wings boss artifact (exclusive to the Artemis), the player's wings can temporarily become Empty if they end their turn with 1 or more Energy.
Empty Parts
Some ships will have empty scaffolding in the middle of them, where attacks and missiles will pass right through them as if there was nothing there. They still act as a part of the ship otherwise. The only player-controlled ships to start with Empty parts are the Jupiter and the Tiderunner. Some enemy ships also have Empty parts.
The player is able to gain a piece of empty scaffolding on any ship via the Extra Scaffold event. There are also the Hunter Wings and Tridimensional Cockpit artifacts, which make certain parts of the ship Empty.