The Future of the Pizza Industry Transformed by SpaceX [Correspondent Diary]

Former Rocket Engineers Start Robot Pizza Company
Determined to Transform the Future Food Delivery Industry

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. space technology is expected to influence the future of the pizza industry as well. In New York, where $1 slice pizza is under threat due to soaring inflation, the emergence of unmanned pizza stores using cutting-edge technology is being hailed as a new milestone that offers a glimpse into the future.

A robot developed by Stella Pizza is cooking pizza.

Stella Pizza, founded by former SpaceX personnel from the space exploration company run by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, is set to officially launch its business next year.

Stella Pizza cooks pizzas using machines installed in vehicles without human assistance. Those who contributed to developing and operating SpaceX spacecraft manage the process where robots knead the dough, add toppings, and bake the pizza in the oven.

Benson Chai, the founder of Stella Pizza, is also a rocket scientist, and the company employs 23 former SpaceX employees.

Founder Chai researched battery systems for rockets and satellites at SpaceX. When he resigned from SpaceX in 2019, he dreamed of starting a food business but soon faced obstacles. There was no place to open a restaurant, and there was a shortage of staff to operate it.

At that time, he thought of robot-baked pizza. The business model was completed by installing pizza-cooking robots in vehicles that bake pizzas while moving to the delivery location after receiving customer orders. It is a model that combines cooking and delivery.

The results were successful. Stella Pizza’s pizza-making robot efficiently bakes a finished pizza in 5 minutes.

Since it is food, taste is essential. The pizza taste is overseen by Ted Shizuma, who was the head chef at SpaceX.

After more than three years of research, Stella Pizza recently demonstrated pizza baking, signaling a full-scale takeoff. Starting next year, it will begin full operations beginning in Los Angeles. Instead of pizza delivery vehicles with pizza shop logos, it means delivering freshly baked pizzas directly to homes.

Stella Pizza plans to expand beyond pizza to various foods that can be cooked in vehicles.

Founder Chai explained, "Rocket scientists have come together to break the mold of food delivery. The current food delivery system is being shaken at its core. Restaurants are not making enough money, consumers pay high delivery fees, but delivery companies also do not make profits. We will apply professional technology to provide mobile ghost kitchens and robot ghost kitchens."

Ghost kitchens, which appeared in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic, are systems where multiple restaurants share a kitchen without a storefront, preparing ordered food for delivery.

The emergence of Stella Pizza suggests that even after space development shifted from government-led to private-led, space development experience can still change everyday life.

Founder Chai emphasized, "Through automation, we can reduce costs and provide affordable, high-quality food." He also said it could overcome the labor shortages that most restaurants are currently facing.

U.S. aerospace technology is a foundation that has had a tremendous impact on modern industry and our lives. Although enormous costs were incurred, the benefits eventually reach the general public.

Microwaves, home water purifiers, vacuum cleaners, memory foam pillows, and mattresses all originated from the U.S. Apollo spacecraft development project in the 1960s.

Shape memory alloys and solar cells, now commonly used, were also products of space development.

It is clear that this trend will continue even as space development shifts to private leadership. Investors who view Stella Pizza’s future optimistically have already invested $9 million, with additional funding planned.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.