Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com based out of our New York City office and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. In June 2025, the National Space Society awarded him the Space Pioneer Award for Excellence in Mass Media at the International Space Development Conference in Orlando, Florida.
Hailing from Stockton, California (where he attended the same high school as NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez), Tariq studied print journalism and astronomy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, earning a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1999 along with a minor in astronomy. He then served as a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra and Fullerton in Orange County for the Our Times sections.
In 2000, Tariq became the city reporter for the Huntington Beach Independent, a weekly publication of the Los Angeles Times, covering local politics and events, crime, business and environmental issues. He left the Los Angeles Times in 2001 to study science journalism at New York University, where he earned a master's degree in 2002 from NYU's Science and Environmental Reporting Program (now the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program) under the direction of space reporter William Burrows.
Tariq first joined Space.com as an intern in September 2001 while also serving as a research assistant for nutrition writer Gary Taubes and writing freelance projects, where his work appeared in The Scientist and Laboratory Equipment Magazine. He became a full-time reporter covering spaceflight in 2004, with this first launch being NASA's STS-114 Return to Flight mission in July 2005.
Tariq is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. When not writing about space, you can find Tariq watching the latest Star Trek TV series, sci-fi movies and reading about hippos, his favorite animal. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.
Latest articles by Tariq Malik

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On. Oct. 5, 1962, the European Southern Observatory was born! Here's why the network of telescopes atop Chile's Atacama Desert matter.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the satellite that started the Space Race. Here's why it mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Oct. 2, 2015, the United Launch Alliance launched its 100th rocket! Here's why one company's rocket milestone mattered.

By Tariq Malik last updated
SpaceX launched the Crew-13 mission on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, delivering four astronauts to the International Space Station. See our live updates.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Oct. 1, 1958, NASA was born! The space agency officially opened for business on this day. Here's why it mattered.

By Tariq Malik last updated
SpaceX's Crew-13 astronaut launch to the International Space Station will be an 8-hour flight. Here's when and how to watch it live.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 30, 2016, the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft purposely crashed into a comet. Here's why it mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 29, 1977, the Soviet Union launched its Salyut 6 space station into orbit. Here's why the new home in space mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 28, 1962, Canada launched its first satellite, Alouette 1, even before there was a Canadian Space Agency. Here's why it mattered.

By Tariq Malik last updated
SpaceX will attempt to launch its Starship megarocket to orbit for the first time on Sept. 28. Here's what time Starship Flight 14 will launch.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 27, 1997, NASA's Mars Pathfinder mission beamed its very last data transmission back to Earth. Here's why it mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 26, 1983, a Russian Soyuz rocket exploded on the launchpad, triggering the first ever launch abort escape for a human crew. Here's why it mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 25, 2008, China's space program launched its third human spaceflight mission, Shenzhou 7, which included the country's first spacewalk. Here's why it mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 24, 2014, India's first interplanetary mission entered into orbit around Mars in a stunning feat of space engineering. Here's why it mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 23, 1962, "The Jetsons" first debuted on ABC to bring a vision of family life in the future to TV screens around the world. Here's why it mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 22, 2006, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency launched a sun-observing satellite called Hinode to study the sun's magnetic field. Here's why it mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 21, 2003, NASA's Galileo mission to Jupiter and its moons came to an end. Here's why it mattered for Jupiter exploration.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 20, 1970, the Soviet Union's Luna 16 moon probe landed on the moon to retrieve a soil sample and return it to Earth. Here's why it mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 19, 1996, the space shuttle Atlantis rendezvoused with Russia's Mir space station to deliver supplies and equipment. Here's why it mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 18, 1977, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft took its first photo of Earth and the moon. Here's why it mattered.

By Tariq Malik Published
On Sept. 17, 1789, the British astronomer William Herschel discovered Saturn's "Death Star" moon, Mimas. Here's why it mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 16, 1949, the U.S. launched a V-2 rocket with a monkey named Albert III on board. Here's how it happened and why it mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 15, 1968, the Soviet Union launched the Zond 5 spacecraft carrying tortoises and more on a mission to loop around the moon and return to Earth. Here's why it mattered.

By Hanneke Weitering Published
On Sept. 14, 1966, NASA's Gemini 11 mission set an spaceflight altitude record that lasted for nearly six decades. Here's why the mission mattered.
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