gmat-run v0.1 — run GMAT scripts from Python, get pandas DataFrames back

[djankov]

First public release of gmat-run is on PyPI: a thin, Pythonic wrapper around NASA GMAT's own gmatpy runtime. You bring a working .script; gmat-run loads it, lets you override fields from Python, runs the mission headlessly, and returns ReportFile output as pandas DataFrames.

from gmat_run import Mission

mission = Mission.load("flyby.script")
mission["Sat.SMA"] = 7000
result = mission.run()
result.reports["ReportFile1"].plot(x="UTCGregorian", y="Sat.Earth.Altitude")

What's in v0.1

• Cross-platform GMAT install discovery (GMAT_ROOT or gmat_root=) and gmatpy bootstrap — no sys.path hacks.
• Mission.load(path) parses a .script into the live GMAT object graph.
• Dotted-path field access with type coercion: mission["Sat.SMA"] = 7000.
• mission.run() executes the mission sequence headlessly, captures GMAT's stdout/stderr, and raises typed exceptions on failure (no silent zero-row DataFrames).
• ReportFile parser with UTCGregorian and *ModJulian columns promoted to datetime64[ns].
• Isolated temp working dir by default; Results.persist(...) to copy artefacts out.
• Integration suite vs stock GMAT R2026a samples on Ubuntu + Windows CI, golden-file regression, mypy --strict, MIT.

What it is not

• Not a way to build missions from scratch in Python — that's gmatpyplus.
• Not a .script text generator — that's pygmat.
• Not a parallel sweep runner — that's a planned follow-up (gmat-sweep) built on top.

Install

pip install gmat-run

Requires Python 3.10–3.12 and a local GMAT install (R2026a is the primary target; R2022a–R2025a expected to work).

Links

• PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/gmat-run/
• Docs: https://astro-tools.github.io/gmat-run/
• Source: https://github.com/astro-tools/gmat-run
• Release notes: https://github.com/astro-tools/gmat-run/releases/tag/v0.1.1 (v0.1.1 is a same-day docs patch on v0.1.0; install 0.1.1)

Feedback wanted

• Does install discovery find your GMAT? If not, which platform / install layout?
• Does a .script you already use load and run? If it doesn't, please open an issue with the .script (or a stripped-down repro) attached.
• Anything that should land in v0.2 ahead of .eph / ContactLocator / CLI / example notebooks? Say so in the comments.