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Tariq Malik

SPACE.COM EDITOR IN CHIEF — Tariq joined the Space.com team in 2001 as a staff writer, and later editor, covering human spaceflight, exploration and space science. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times. He 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. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Google+, Twitter and on Facebook.

Articles by: Tariq Malik

All About Space magazine

Read a free issue of All About Space magazine!

By Tariq Malik

Created by space experts, our sister publication is the cutting-edge magazine that features the latest developments in space science, exploration and more

A Rocket Lab Electron booster stands on the pad in New Zealand ahead of the planned Jan. 16 launch of the "Another Leaves the Crust" mission.

Rocket Lab calls off microsatellite launch due to sensor issue

By Tariq Malik

The small-satellite launch company Rocket Lab called off its first launch of 2021 from New Zealand Saturday (Jan. 16) due to some strange sensor readings ahead of liftoff.

The first Stardust low-altitude rocket by bluShift aerospace stands atop its launch rail on a decommissioned runway in Limestone, Maine for a planned Jan. 15, 2021 launch.

Space startup bluShift to launch its 1st biofuel rocket Friday. Here's how to watch live.

By Tariq Malik

The Brunswick, Maine-based space startup bluShift Aerospace will launch its first Stardust suborbital rocket prototype on Friday (Jan. 15), and you can watch the liftoff live online.

Five Expedition 64 astronauts on the International Space Station celebrate 2021 by ringing in the New Year with a zero gravity ball drop. They are (clockwise from top left): NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi and NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Shannon Walker.

Astronauts ring in new year from space with zero gravity ball drop for 2021

By Tariq Malik

Astronauts in space found a way to ring in 2021 on New Year's Eve in their own way: a ball drop in zero gravity.

A Soyuz rocket carrying the French military spy satellite CSO-2 launches from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana on Dec. 29, 2020 in the final Arianespace flight of 2020.

Arianespace launches French military spy satellite on Soyuz rocket to cap 2020

By Tariq Malik

Arianespace launched a new reconnaissance satellite for the French military on Tuesday (Dec. 29), marking the launch provider's final mission of 2020.

Five members of the Expedition 64 crew send a Christmas message to Earth from the International Space Station to celebrate the 2020 holiday.

Astronauts on the International Space Station beam Christmas cheer to Earth

By Tariq Malik

Astronauts on the International Space Station are sending Christmas tidings to the people of Earth with a message of hope in a year challenged by a global pandemic.

SpaceX's Starship SN8 launches on its first high-altitude flight from the company's Boca Chica site in South Texas on Dec. 8, 2020.

Relive SpaceX's Starship SN8 test launch with this epic recap video

By Tariq Malik

SpaceX dropped an early Christmas present to space fans everywhere this week with an epic recap of its first high-altitude Starship test launch.

Santa Clause has made a special visit to the International Space Station to deliver presents for Christmas 2020.

NORAD tracks Santa Claus in cosmic trip to the International Space Station

By Tariq Malik

NORAD and AGI are tracking Santa's flyby of the International Space Station, which comes just in time for Christmas during the station's 20th anniversary year of crewed missions.

A Geminid fireball blazes through the sky above a campfire at Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland during the Geminid meteor shower. Astrophotographer Jeff Berkes snapped this photo on Dec. 14, 2018, at 2:30 a.m. local time.

The Geminid meteor shower of 2020 peaks tonight! Here's how to watch it live online

By Tariq Malik

The Geminid meteor shower of 2020 peaks overnight tonight on Dec. 13 and 14 and you can watch it live online. Here's how.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Sirius XM satellite SXM-7 is seen atop Space Launch Complex 40 of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida after a launch delay on Dec. 11, 2020.

SpaceX calls off Sirius XM satellite launch at last minute

By Tariq Malik

SpaceX called off the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a new Sirius XM satellite on Friday (Dec. 11), halting the flight at the last minute for extra system checks.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket makes its sixth flight to launch a fleet of Starlink internet satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on Aug. 18, 2020. The same rocket booster will launch another Starlink mission on Nov. 23, 2020.

SpaceX scrubs Starlink satellite launch on record 7th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket

By Tariq Malik

SpaceX called off the launch of its next Starlink satellite fleet late Sunday (Nov. 22), delaying a potentially record-setting flight for the mission's Falcon 9 rocket.

An Arianespace Vega rocket carrying two satellites for Spain and France lifts off from a pad at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana on Nov. 16, 2020. The rocket failed eight minutes into flight, leading to the loss of both satellites.

European Vega rocket suffers major launch failure, satellites for Spain and France lost

By Tariq Malik

An Arianespace Vega rocket suffered a major failure shortly after launch on Monday (Nov. 16), leading to loss of satellites for Spain and France.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 rocket are pictured in the hangar at Launch Complex 39A, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ahead of the planned launch of the Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station.

SpaceX, NASA delay Crew-1 astronaut launch to Sunday due to rocket recovery weather

By Tariq Malik

SpaceX's first four-astronaut launch for NASA is delayed 24 hours due to bad weather for Crew-1 rocket recovery efforts, NASA says.

Playmobil's Back to the Future DeLorean set.

Jumping Gigawatts! Playmobil's Back to the Future DeLorean is a blast from the past

By Tariq Malik

Playmobil is celebrating "Back to the Future's 35th anniversary with three new sets to let you recreate Marty McFly's time-traveling adventures.

The Boeing Starliner space capsule for the Orbital Flight Test 2 test flight gets its heat shield in this still from a Boeing video released on Oct. 14, 2020.

NASA says Boeing's next Starliner test flight won't launch until 2021

By Tariq Malik

Boeing's next Starliner test flight for NASA won't launch until early 2021 due to software checks, a NASA official said Tuesday (Nov. 10).

Celebrate Halloween the NASA way with these three Galaxy of Horrors posters for 2020.

Grab these spooky (and free) NASA space posters to haunt your Halloween

By Tariq Malik

NASA has three new Halloween posters depicting strange space phenomena in classic horror movie styles and they're available for free.

A Rocket Lab Electron booster stands poised to launch the "In Focus" mission from New Zealand on Oct. 21, 2020. The planned launch was scrubbed because Rocket Lab wanted to examine sensor data further.

Rocket Lab will launch 10 Earth-imaging satellites today. Here's how to watch.

By Tariq Malik

Rocket Lab will loft 10 new Earth-imaging satellites into orbit today (Oct. 28) and you can watch it live.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Starlink 11 mission from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Sept. 3, 2020.

SpaceX postpones next Starlink satellite fleet launch due to rocket camera issue

By Tariq Malik

SpaceX called off the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 60 new Starlink internet satellites Thursday (Oct. 22) due to mission assurance concerns.

NASA has picked Intuitive Machines to deliver the PRIME-1 ice-mining experiment to the moon's south pole in December 2022 on the company's private Nova-C lander.

NASA picks Intuitive Machines to land an ice-mining drill on the moon

By Tariq Malik

NASA has tapped the Houston-based company Intuitive Machines to land a drill on the moon's south pole in 2022.

Two images taken by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft show the sampling arm touch the surface of asteroid Bennu.

NASA's first attempt to sample an asteroid in space made a mess. It's the best mess ever, scientists say.

By Tariq Malik

A NASA spacecraft has really made a mess of things on the asteroid Bennu, and scientists are thrilled. OSIRIS-REx performed well in its sampling attempt.

These NASA graphics show the trajectories of two near-Earth asteroids, 2020 UX and 2020 TF6, which flew closer to Earth than the moon on Oct. 19, 2020.

2 small asteroids zip by Earth closer than the moon today

By Tariq Malik

Two small asteroids will zip by Earth today (Oct. 19) at a range that's closer than the moon, in a double flyby that comes as NASA gears up to sample a space rock of its own.

This image shows an artist's depiction of a crewed mission to Mars.

You can watch the International Mars Society's 2020 convention online today for free

By Tariq Malik

The International Mars Society Convention 2020 goes virtual from Oct. 15 to Oct. 18 and here's how to watch live.

LEGO Star Wars Boost Droid Commander 75253 Star Wars Droid Building Set

Lego's Star Wars Boost Droid Commander set is 33% off for Prime Day

By Tariq Malik

Lego's Star Wars Boost Droid Commander is 33% off for Prime Day 2020, in one of the biggest sale prices we've ever seen.

Hasbro has launched the Space Capsule collection of board games, including Battleship Outer Space, Monopoly Space and Trouble: On the Moon Edition. The games are available exclusively at Target stores.

Monopoly, Battleship and Trouble in space! Hasbro's Space Capsule games land at Target.

By Tariq Malik

Hasbro is taking some of its most iconic board games to the final frontier with Battleship Outer Space, Monopoly Space and Trouble: On the Moon Edition.

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus CG-14 cargo ship stands atop Launch Pad 0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility ahead of an Oct. 1, 2020 launch try.

Northrop Grumman aborts launch of Antares rocket carrying NASA cargo minutes before liftoff

By Tariq Malik

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying tons of NASA supplies suffered a launch abort just minutes before liftoff late Thursday (Oct. 1).