“I’m also the youngest to be selected. But the important thing is to highlight my achievements, not my gender,” she told JNS in a recent interview ahead of International Women’s Day on Sunday.
Her achievements are impressive. A senior scientist and space researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Beersheva, she established and heads the United Nations’ regional support office in Israel for space-based information supporting disaster management and emergency response (UN-SPIDER), represents Israel on the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, and serves as vice chair of the Earth Observations Committee at the International Astronautical Federation (IAF).
Maman also founded “She Space,” a BGU educational project that encourages high school girls to become involved in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) studies. The project won the IAF’s annual Excellence in 3G Diversity Award in 2021.
When she discusses the progress made by the teenage participants, she speaks with pride and passion. She encourages her students to dream big and look at the stars, but also to keep their feet firmly on the ground.
“Space is not only about exploration. It is a strategic infrastructure that underpins national resilience, economic growth, security and scientific excellence,” she said. “Leading the ISA is a responsibility to shape a forward-looking space ecosystem by nurturing talent, enabling industry and advancing cutting-edge research.”
Toward new frontiers
Maman is leading the ISA boldly toward new frontiers. Indeed, her entire worldview is built on a single philosophy: “Space is not just for exploration. It’s a tool that can—and absolutely should—be used to focus on urgent, down-to-earth issues and to save lives.”
For example, in February 2023, a massive earthquake struck Turkey. Tens of thousands of people were killed, and rescue missions were rushing to get there from around the world.
At the same time, totally by chance, Maman happened to be at Ben-Gurion International Airport with some of her She Space students, and they ran into an Israeli rescue team from United Hatzalah that was on its way to the disaster zone. A member of the team jokingly asked, “What can you do to help? Get me a satellite picture of the area?”
Maman immediately called ISI, a leading Israeli provider of space-based intelligence solutions, and the images she managed to get were the very first satellite photos in the world to reach the rescue teams on the ground. They helped find survivors in the rubble and get them out.
However, she said, “the applications are not limited to disaster scenarios. For instance, the expansion of certain towns in the Negev is causing friction with wildlife. To alleviate the situation, they’re using satellites to track environmental changes and combine that data with motion cameras on the ground and even an AI system that can analyze an animal’s body language to see if it’s stressed out.
“The core information comes from satellites. It’s space that is directly connected to the environment.”
Creating ‘real benefits for society’
Her role, she said, “is to ensure that space technologies translate into real benefits for society, ranging from climate monitoring and disaster preparedness to education and innovation.”
In fact, “50 percent of the data we could gain about climate change comes from satellites. People don’t know that.”
In a pilot program in the southern Israeli town of Omer, her student Maria teaches residents important tools for preparedness. “First of all–know your tech,” Maman said. “Do you even know if your smartphone has satellite capabilities? Most of us don’t.”
“Recent regional events highlight that space is an integral part of our national security infrastructure,” Maman explained. “Space-based systems enable situational awareness, anticipation, and preparedness–transforming information into actionable insight. In an age of multi-domain threats, national resilience depends not only on what surrounds us, but also on what operates above us.”
According to Maman, “the current security reality makes it unmistakably clear that space is no longer a future domain; it is an operational one. Space-based capabilities support decision-making, early warning, and real-time situational understanding. In an era when threats transcend traditional boundaries, superiority is shaped not only at sea, in the air, or on land, but also by our ability to see, interpret, and act from space.”
Maman is married with two children—an 18-year-old son and a 15-year-old daughter. “It’s very demanding, but I prioritize, like with everything else,” she said.
“Since the children were very young, they have been used to the activity. My career started a long time ago. Luckily for me, I have a very, very good relationship with my spouse, who is very supportive. We’re very good partners. He has a PhD in physics, and he also works for BGU.
“It was also a wonderful opportunity for the kids to learn. When my children were very young, I often tried to turn some work trips into family trips when possible. Coming back to the hotel or apartment in the evening and not being alone made those intense travel periods much more meaningful. It was a real privilege for them as well, because growing up, they were exposed to many places, cultures, and experiences. In many ways, it became a win-win situation, and they gained a lot from it.”
Maman was also privileged to travel in her youth. Her parents, originally from Morocco, were shlichim (emissaries) for the Jewish Agency. When she was a month old, the family moved to Brazil until she was five. They went back to Israel for four years and then moved to Toronto for four years before returning to Israel.
‘I want students to dare to do something they have never done before’
Asked by JNS how the She Space program helps young women advance in the field, she replied: “Mainly, I provide them with the opportunity to gain experience. The program is designed for high school girls, and the reason is that when they enter university, it’s often too late to switch majors. In high school, they’re at a stage where we could influence their decision and remove many barriers and social prejudices.”
She added, “It’s a very demanding program. I won’t lie. It’s very serious. A student in 10th grade does work at a master’s level. But it’s doable. Everything they need to learn, they will learn. We invest in them, but they must be very motivated to stay in the program.
“I want students who want to learn and who dare to do something they have never done before. We have had incredible results. This program has operated in 11 countries. We ran international programs, and the exciting part is that they present their results among other partners worldwide.
“The fun part,” she continued, “is that some of them traveled to places where, otherwise, they would never have gone. In fact, we were the first Israeli youth group to go to the United Arab Emirates after the Abraham Accords were signed.
“Our girls won third place in a competition in South Korea against people with 10 years of experience in the industry. These are high school girls. I’m so proud of them.”
Her daughter is not pursuing the field, Maman said; she plans to become a doctor. “But speaking of my daughter, the program started with her asking me, at the age of four and a half, why I don’t have any female friends who are astronauts. She grew up having dinners and lunches with astronauts because of my job. I had never noticed that all she was seeing were men.
“That’s how the She Space program started. That’s what sparked the program.”
‘We are going back to the moon’
Beresheet, Israel’s first lunar spacecraft, launched by SpaceIL from Cape Canaveral, FL, on Feb. 22, 2019, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, crashed during its landing attempt on April 11, 2019, after a malfunction in its main engine caused it to lose control in the final moments before touchdown.
A brand-new national innovation lab is getting a 60-million-shekel ($19.5 million) budget, Maman said. Its purpose is to supercharge startups that are researching the space sector.
This is paving the way for Israel’s next big ambition. “We are going back to the moon,” Maman declared. “NASA’s Artemis Accords are not only about returning to the moon. They are about shaping how humanity explores space together, responsibly and cooperatively.”
Israel is planning to send its first woman to space, an initiative led by Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamliel.
Why specifically a woman? “Promoting any sector of society promotes society as a whole,” Maman said. “It all comes down to one goal: to make life better for people on earth.”
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“Recent regional events highlight that space is an integral part of our national security infrastructure,” Dr. Shimrit Tirosh Maman, head of the Israel Space Agency, told JNS.