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SpiceyPy

v8.2.0
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Citation

Software

Reference Publication

Concise Description
SpiceyPy is a python wrapper for the SPICE Toolkit. SPICE is an essential tool for scientists and engineers alike in the planetary science field for Solar System Geometry.
Description
SpiceyPy is a python wrapper for the SPICE Toolkit. SPICE is an essential tool for scientists and engineers alike in the planetary science field for Solar System Geometry. Please visit the NAIF website for more details about SPICE. IMPORTANT: The code is provided "as is", use at your own risk. However, the NAIF now distributes python "lessons" that use SpiceyPy as the python to spice interface.
Reference Publication
https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.02050
Authors
Andrew Annex ( Johns Hopkins University )
K.-Michael Aye ( Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics )
Kristin L. Berry ( USGS Astrogeology Science Center )
Brian T. Carcich ( Latchmoor Services, LLC )
Helge Eichhorn ( Planetary Transportation Systems GmbH )
Johan Lauritz Freiherr von Forstner ( Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, University of Kiel , Paradox Cat GmbH )
Lars Hinüber
Chris Jeppesen ( Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics )
Shankar Kulumani ( Collins Aerospace )
Jesse A. Mapel ( USGS Astrogeology Science Center )
Jean-Luc Margot ( University of California, Los Angeles )
Jonathan McAuliffe ( DLR Gesellschaft für Raumfahrtanwendungen (GfR) mbH )
Gavin Medley ( Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics , University of Colorado Boulder )
Shin-ya Murakami ( GFD Dennou Club )
Kyle Niemeyer ( Oregon State University )
Ben Pearson
Jorge Diaz del Rio ( ODC Space )
Alfonso Sánchez Rodríguez
Benoît Seignovert ( Jet Propulsion Laboratory )
Marcel Stefko ( ETH Zurich )
Miguel de Val-Borro ( Planetary Science Institute )
Functionality
Coordinate Transforms Mission-Specific Planetary Heliospheric Magnetospheric Data Processing and Analysis Analysis Models and Simulations Physics-Based Observatory/Instrument Models Mission-related Observatory/Instrument Models
Technical Details
Programming Languages C Other Python 3.x
Operating Systems Linux Mac Other Windows
CPU Architecture Apple Silicon arm64 Linux aarch64 or arm64 Other x86-64
Development Status Active
Publication Date Mar 27, 2016
Publisher Zenodo
Data & File Formats
Input Formats ascii Other
Output Formats ascii Other
Science Context
Related Regions Interplanetary Space Solar Environment Earth Magnetosphere Earth Ionosphere Earth Thermosphere
Keywords
coordinate transformations cspice ephemeris geometry hacktoberfest jpl naif nasa navigation orbit planetary science pyhc package python space spice spiceypy time toolkit wrapper
Related Items

Related Publications

https://doi.org/10.1016/0032-0633(95)00107-7
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2017.02.013
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017LPICo1986.7081A/abstract
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019LPICo2151.7043A/abstract

Related Software

https://github.com/AndrewAnnex/cspice-cmake-spiceypy
https://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/naif/toolkit_C.html
Licensing & Funding
License MIT License
Funders National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Funding Awards
Improving SpiceyPy: the Python SPICE interface (80NSSC25K7040) - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Version Information
Current Version v8.2.0
Release Date Jul 24, 2026
Version DOI https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21540077
Release Notes
Restored Python 3.10 wheel builds and corrected the PyPI classifier; faster wheel builds that compile CSPICE once per cibuildwheel job; CSPICE cached from a hash-verified mirror; documentation updated to the Pyodide 314.0.0 kernel; cspice_flavor now read via c_int.in_dll. Fixes: spkaps accobs corrected to a 3-vector (backwards compatible via truncation), dskb02 vertex-bounds return shape corrected, ctypes argtype misspellings on dafrs, gfilum, polyds, vnormg and vnorm that silently disabled argument marshalling, erroneous double-byref calls, and a missing comma in __all__ that merged "exceptions" and "stypes" and broke those imports.
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