pykep is a scientific library providing basic tools for astrodynamics research. Algorithmic efficiency is a main focus of the library, which is written in C++ and exposed to Python using the boost::python library. At the library core is the implementation of an efficient solver for the multiple revolutions Lambert's problem, objects representing direct (Sims-Flanagan), indirect (Pontryagin) and hybrid methods to represent low-thrust optimization problems, efficient keplerian propagators, Taylor-integrators, a SGP4 propagator, TLE and SATCAT support and more.