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 Tariq Malik Published
NASA's ambitious mission to return astronauts to the moon for the first time this century is on track to launch no later than April 2026, but it just might fly sooner if all goes well.

By Tariq Malik Published
Rocket Lab's new Launch Complex 3 will launch Neutron rockets that can land themselves on land or at sea just like SpaceX rockets.

By Tariq Malik Last updated
SpaceX is now targeting the launch of its Starship Flight 10 test mission for Tuesday (Aug. 26) at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT) after back to back delays.

By Tariq Malik Published
Lucasfilm unveiled a sneak peek at Volume 3 of "Star Wars: Visions" that hints at something new coming from a galaxy far, far away.

By Tariq Malik Published
From rocketships and exoplanets, to FTL and black holes, there's something for every space fan in Marvel's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps."

By Tariq Malik Published
NASA employees have until July 25 to decide if they'll stay or go.

By Tariq Malik Last updated
The Japanese company ispace will attempt to land its Resilience lander on the moon on June 5. Here's what time and how to watch it live.

By Tariq Malik Last updated
SpaceX is aiming to launch its Starship Flight 9 test mission no earlier than Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT), but only if conditions allow.

By Tariq Malik Published
How has the Hubble Telescope lasted so long? One of the astronauts who helped repair it explains.

By Tariq Malik Published
Veteran Chinese astronaut Chen Dong will command a crew that includes rookies Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie.

By Tariq Malik Published
The first 27 satellites of Amazon's Project Kuiper internet constellation are now scheduled to lift off atop an Atlas V rocket on April 28 from Florida.

By Tariq Malik Published
Landing off the coast of the Bahamas offers SpaceX new rocket flight trajectories.

By Tariq Malik Published
Katy Perry isn't the first performer with space ambitions; Lance Bass, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber all hoped to be first at one time or another.

By Tariq Malik Published
The Monse Blue Origin flight suits were tailored for women from the start, designers say.

By Tariq Malik Published
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch Amazon's first big batch of Project Kuiper broadband satellites today (April 9), and you can watch it live.

By Tariq Malik Published

By Tariq Malik Published
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch an uncrewed Dragon cargo ship packed with tons of supplies to the International Space Station on April 21.

By Tariq Malik Last updated
Trump officially nominated Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut to lead NASA, shortly after taking office.

By Tariq Malik Published
India's POEM-4 experiment module burned up and fell into the Indian Ocean to avoid becoming space debris.

By Tariq Malik, Josh Dinner Last updated
Find out the latest about SpaceX's private Fram2 polar astronaut mission for cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang.

By Tariq Malik Published
Isaacman, a billionaire and private astronaut, has flown in space twice on SpaceX rockets and spacecraft.

By Tariq Malik Published
Billed as the "World's Largest Astronomy & Space Expo," NEAF 2025 draws thousands of stargazers each year, with astronauts and exoplanet hunters speaking this year.

By Tariq Malik Published
Cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang and his Fram2 private astronaut crew got a two-for-one deal when they watched a rocket launch ahead of their own launch on March 31.
Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

