spiceypy
A Python Wrapper for the NAIF CSPICE Toolkit
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. SpiceyPy is production-stable, actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and is the standard Python interface to SPICE in the planetary science community. Install friction is moderate due to compiled dependencies, but precompiled wheels for modern Python versions (3.10–3.13) and common architectures minimize friction. The MIT license is permissive. Install if you need Solar System geometry or ephemeris calculations; skip if you do not work in planetary science or spacecraft operations.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- SPICE kernel files (.bsp, .tls, .pck) must be obtained separately from NAIF and furnished before most computations.
- Precompiled wheels available for Python 3.10–3.13 across Linux (x86_64, aarch64), macOS (x86_64, arm64), and Windows; medium install friction reflects the compiled C dependency.
- Actively maintained with a release 21 days old and recent commits.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
last release 2026-07-24 (21 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-09 · 483 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 210,766 downloads/mo, #9,488 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install spiceypy
import spiceypy as sp
sp.furnsh('path/to/kernel.bsp')
position, _ = sp.spkgeo(target_id, et, frame, observer_id)- Whether kernel data files are included or must be downloaded separately from NAIF.
- Performance characteristics for large-scale ephemeris queries or real-time applications.
- Compatibility with concurrent or async workflows.
What it is and what it does
SpiceyPy is a Python wrapper around the NAIF SPICE Toolkit, a C library developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for computing positions, orientations, and geometric relationships of celestial bodies and spacecraft. It uses ctypes and Cython to expose SPICE functions to Python, allowing scientists and engineers to query ephemeris data, transform between coordinate frames, and compute lighting geometry without writing C code.
The package is production-stable (Development Status 5) and actively maintained. It depends only on numpy and requires Python 3.10 or later. Precompiled wheels cover modern Linux, macOS, and Windows architectures, reducing installation friction. The NAIF now distributes official Python lessons using SpiceyPy, signaling institutional support. Users must obtain and load SPICE kernel files (ephemeris, leap-second, and planetary constants data) separately; the package itself is a compute interface, not a data distribution.
Use it for
- Compute spacecraft position and velocity at a given time for mission planning or analysis.
- Transform coordinates between spacecraft, planetary, and inertial reference frames.
- Calculate lighting geometry (e.g., solar illumination angles) for instrument planning.
- Query planetary body positions and orientations for orbital mechanics simulations.
- Validate or supplement trajectory data in multi-body dynamics software.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
SpiceyPy is production-stable, actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and is the standard Python interface to SPICE in the planetary science community. Install friction is moderate due to compiled dependencies, but precompiled wheels for modern Python versions (3.10–3.13) and common architectures minimize friction. The MIT license is permissive. Install if you need Solar System geometry or ephemeris calculations; skip if you do not work in planetary science or spacecraft operations.
Install
spiceypy on PyPI
Before you install
Precompiled wheels available for Python 3.10–3.13 across Linux (x86_64, aarch64), macOS (x86_64, arm64), and Windows; medium install friction reflects the compiled C dependency. Actively maintained with a release 21 days old and recent commits.
SPICE kernel files (.bsp, .tls, .pck) must be obtained separately from NAIF and furnished before most computations.
License in practice
MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
Quickstart
pip install spiceypy
import spiceypy as sp
sp.furnsh('path/to/kernel.bsp')
position, _ = sp.spkgeo(target_id, et, frame, observer_id)Verify before relying
- Whether kernel data files are included or must be downloaded separately from NAIF.
- Performance characteristics for large-scale ephemeris queries or real-time applications.
- Compatibility with concurrent or async workflows.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagenumpy |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 21 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 210,766 / month, #9,488 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: MacOS :: MacOS XOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIX :: BSD :: FreeBSDOperating System :: POSIX :: LinuxProgramming Language :: CythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Topic :: Scientific/EngineeringTopic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Astronomy |
Evidence: spiceypy-8.2.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux2014_aarch64.manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux2014_x86_64.manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp311-cp311-manylinux2014_aarch64.manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp311-cp311-manylinux2014_x86_64.manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp311-cp311-win_amd64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp312-cp312-macosx_10_13_x86_64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp312-cp312-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp312-cp312-manylinux2014_aarch64.manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp312-cp312-manylinux2014_x86_64.manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp313-cp313-macosx_10_13_x86_64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp313-cp313-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp313-cp313-manylinux2014_aarch64.manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp313-cp313-manylinux2014_x86_64.manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; spiceypy-8.2.0-cp313-cp313-win_amd64.whl
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