Tariq Malik

Tariq Malik

Editor-in-Chief

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.

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

China Launch March 7 rocket with Tianzhou 4 cargo ship.

Watch live at 1:56 pm ET: China to launch Tianzhou 4 cargo ship to Tiangong space station

By Tariq Malik last updated

China plans to launch the robotic Tianzhou 4 cargo craft to its Tiangong space station today (May 9) at 1:56 p.m. EDT. Watch live here.

Satellites
The four astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-3 mission for NASA float in a space "waltz" on the International Space Station in this still taken during spacesuit fit checks ahead of the astronauts' return to Earth in May 2022. Maurer shared the video on Twitter on May 2, 2022.

Watch SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts 'waltz' in space in fun spacesuit video

By Tariq Malik published

A fun video by SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts on the International Space Station reveals the lighter side of space travel.

Human Spaceflight
People in a railway station in Seoul, South Korea watch a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test on May 7, 2022. North Korea launched a submarine-based ballistic missile test earlier that day.

North Korea launches ballistic missile from submarine in latest test: reports

By Tariq Malik published

North Korea launched a new ballistic missile test from a submarine on Saturday (May 7).

Tech
The word Go appears in clouds near Chile as seen by a satellite in space.

Earth tells us to 'GO' in weird cloud message seen from space (photo)

By Tariq Malik published

A surprising new photo from the GOES East satellite has revealed what appears to be the word "Go" written in the clouds as seen from space.

Earth
The SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts (from left to right), ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari and Kayla Barron.

Watch SpaceX's Crew-3 astronauts return home from International Space Station early Friday

By Tariq Malik published

A SpaceX spacecraft carrying four astronauts will return to Earth before dawn on Friday (May 6) and you can watch it live online.

International Space Station
Two views of Rocket Lab's Electron booster on its launch pad on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula ahead of the company's first mid-air recovery attempt launch set for May 2, 2022.

Rocket Lab delays Electron booster launch and recovery test to Monday

By Tariq Malik published

Rocket Lab has postponed the launch of an Electron rocket it hopes to recovery with a helicopter to no earlier than Monday (May 2).

Launches & Spacecraft
SpaceX's Crew Dragon Freedom is seen docked at the space-facing port on the International Space Station's Harmony module after a smooth arrival with four Crew-4 astronauts aboard on April 27, 2022.

SpaceX just flew its fastest Dragon astronaut trip to the space station ever

By Tariq Malik last updated

SpaceX just set a new record for its fastest Dragon astronaut trip yet.

International Space Station
Elon Musk shared this view of a batch of SpaceX Raptor 2 engines awaiting integration into a Starship rocket at the company's Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas on April 26, 2022. Twitter fans saw an eerie resemblance to the Doctor Who villians, the Daleks.

Elon Musk shows off new SpaceX rocket engines for Starship. Twitter fans see Daleks.

By Tariq Malik published

Elon Musk seems pretty proud of his company SpaceX's new rocket engines. Twitter fans fear they're Daleks.

Launches & Spacecraft
A Chinese Long March 11 rocket launches five small satellites into orbit from an ocean platform in the East China Sea on April 29, 2022.

China just launched a rocket with 5 satellites to orbit from a platform at sea

By Tariq Malik published

China launched five satellites into orbit on a rocket that lifted from a platform at sea on Saturday (April 30), marking the country's farthest liftoff from shore yet.

Satellites
This artist's concept shows NASA's Space Launch System atop its Florida launch pad.

The World's Tallest Rockets: How They Stack Up

By Tariq Malik last updated

From the mighty Saturn V to NASA's new Space Launch System, see how the biggest rockets on Earth compare.

Human Spaceflight
Building the Lego NASA Apollo Saturn V rocket.

Space.com Builds: Lego NASA Apollo Saturn V Rocket (Video)

By Tariq Malik last updated

Watch Space.com managing editor Tariq Malik and his 8-year-old daughter Zadie build the towering Saturn V moon rocket set from LEGO released in 2017.

Space Games & Toys
NASA astronaut Victor Glover celebrates after returning to Earth on SpaceX's Crew-1 Crew Dragon capsule Resilience with a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico near Panama City, Florida on May 2, 2021.

Watch NASA astronaut Victor Glover talk life in space and more from the Smithsonian

By Tariq Malik last updated

Today (April 28), astronaut Victor Glover will host a live discussion from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Human Spaceflight
Russian comonaut Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos waves to a camera during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on April 18, 2022.

Watch 2 Russian cosmonauts spacewalk outside the International Space Station today

By Tariq Malik published

Two Russian cosmonauts will spend hours spacewalking outside the International Space Station. Watch it live

International Space Station
The Large Hadron Collider restarted after a three-year shutdown on April 22, 2022.

Large Hadron Collider restarts to push physics to the edge

By Tariq Malik published

Scientists restarted the Large Hadron Collider on April 22 to hunt for dark matter and fringe physics.

The Universe
The four private astronauts of the Axiom Space Ax-1 mission to the International Space Station wave to students at Space Center Houston during a video call on April 13, 2022. They are (from left): Ax-1 pilot Larry Connor; commander and former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría; Canadian entrepreneur Mark Pathy; and Israeli entrepeneur Eytan Stibbe.

SpaceX, NASA delay undocking of private Ax-1 astronaut crew at space station

By Tariq Malik published

NASA and SpaceX delayed the undocking of private Ax-1 astronauts from the International Space Station by another day due to bad weather.

International Space Station
A Chinese Long March 3B rocket launches the Zhongxing 6D communications satellite into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on April 15, 2022.

China launched 2 rockets back-to-back just ahead of astronauts' landing

By Tariq Malik last updated

China launched two rockets in six hours Friday during a busy day that also included the successful astronaut landing.

Launches & Spacecraft
SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour with the Axiom-1 crew docks to the International Space Station on Saturday, April 9, 2022.

See amazing photos of SpaceX's Ax-1 private astronaut launch and mission

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Check out these amazing photos of Axiom Space's historic Ax-1 mission, the first all-private mission to the International Space Station.

Space Exploration
osmonauts Anton Shkaplerov (left) and Pyotr Dubrov (right) work to outfit the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during a seven-hour and 11-minute spacewalk Jan. 19, 2022.

Watch 2 Russian cosmonauts spacewalk outside the International Space Station today

By Tariq Malik published

Two Russian cosmonauts will take a spacewalk outside the International Space Station today (April 18) and you'll be able to watch it live online.

International Space Station
The full moon of April illuminates the night in Idlib, Syria on April 16, 2022. This year, the pink moon was seen during the month of Ramadan.

Amazing photos of Full Pink Moon of April 2022 (gallery)

By Tariq Malik last updated

See amazing photos of the Full Pink Moon of April 2022 over Easter, Passover and Ramadan on April 16.

Stargazing
This still from NASA's Crew-2 landing webcast on Nov. 8, 2021 shows the delayed opening of one of four parachutes on SpaceX's returning Dragon capsule carrying astronauts home from the International Space Station.

NASA, SpaceX to provide Crew-4 astronaut launch update today. How to listen live.

By Tariq Malik last updated

NASA and SpaceX will hold announce an update to the agency's next astronaut launch from Florida today (Feb. 4) and you can follow it live online.

Human Spaceflight
China's Shenzhou 13 astronauts give thumb's up signs as they prepare to return to Earth from the Tiangong space station core module Tianhe in April 2022. They are (from left): Wang Yaping; commander Zhai Zhigang; and Ye Guangfu.

Watch China's Shenzhou 13 astronauts return to Earth from space station tonight

By Tariq Malik last updated

China's first astronaut crew to spend a record-setting six months aboard the country's new space station returns to Earth tonight and you can watch it live online.

Launches & Spacecraft
NASA's Artemis 1 moon rocket, the first Space Launch System booster, stands top Launch Pad 39B of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the International Space Station flies overhead as a streak visible in the upper left on April 8, 2022.

Artemis 1 moon rocket gets space station flyover in stunning NASA photo

By Tariq Malik published

A serene new NASA photo shows the agency's Artemis 1 moon rocket as the International Space Station flies overhead during a critical test.

Artemis
Google's Earth Day 2021 doodle celebrates tree-planting on Earth and inspiring future generations to care for our planet.

Celebrate Earth Day 2021 with this 'beau-tree-ful' Google Doodle

By Tariq Malik last updated

Earth Day 2021 is here and the folks at Google hope it plants a tree in your heart with this adorable Google doodle.

Earth
NASA's Artemis 1 Space Launch System moon rocket is seen atop Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida during wet dress rehearsal test on April 4, 2022.

Stuck valve stalls NASA's 2nd attempt to fuel giant Artemis 1 moon rocket

By Tariq Malik last updated

A stuck vent valve has stalled NASA's second attempt to fuel its Artemis 1 moon mission megarocket.

Artemis
SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced his offer to buy 100% of Twitter in cash on Thursday (April 14).

Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter for a reported $43 billion in cash

By Tariq Malik last updated

Elon Musk wants to buy Twitter. The SpaceX and Tesla chief announced his bid to buy the social media company Thursday (April 14).

Entertainment
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