Malik to Address the Nation’s Largest Citizen’s Space Conference as He Receives the NSS Space Pioneer Award

The National Space Society (NSS) is proud to present Space.com’s Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik the prestigious NSS Space Pioneer Award at the International Space Development Conference® 2025 in Orlando, Florida. The conference will be held at the Rosen Center Hotel on June 19-22.

Malik worked as a city and education reporter at the Los Angeles Times before moving to Space.com in 2001. He became their Managing Editor in 2009 and the Editor-in-Chief in 2019. During his time at the online news site, Space.com’s readership has expanded to 14 million global monthly users.

Malik’s interest in spaceflight dates back to his childhood, resulting in four different sessions at Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, and an additional session as an adult. He was an Eagle Scout and earned his Space Exploration merit badge. By the time he entered journalism school he knew he wanted to be a space writer and earned his BA in journalism from the University of Southern California and an MA in science reporting from New York University. Malik writes multiple articles weekly on a wide variety of space topics that are read by millions.

“Tariq is one of a kind—truly an ace space reporter who gets it right every time without bias or an agenda,” said Rod Pyle, Editor-in-Chief of the National Space Society’s quarterly print magazine Ad Astra. “His passion for space is unmatched, and his expertise is as broad and deep as anyone I’ve met. Being in charge of a 24-hour specialty news outlet is no easy task, but he makes it seem so.” Pyle co-hosts the This Week in Space podcast with Malik for the TWiT Network. Malik has previously received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee.

Join Malik, Pyle, astronaut Chris Ferguson, Jared Isaacman (Mission Commander of the Polaris Dawn and Inspiration4 missions), philanthropist and United Therapeutics CEO Martine Rothblatt, and dozens of other top space professionals at the International Space Development Conference in Orlando, FL, from June 19-22. More information and early bird registration can be found at the ISDC website.