In 1957, DC Comics editorial director Irwin Donenfeld held a meeting with editors Jack Schiff and Julius Schwartz in his office, asking them each to create a new science fiction hero: one from the present, and one from the future.
After a successful tryout in Showcase #15 and 16, the Space Ranger was given a slot in Tales of the Unexpected, starting with issue #40 (August 1959).