A new food truck rolled onto the USC campus in October featuring pizza that is fresh, inexpensive and made by robots.

At Stellar Pizza, a group of engineers from SpaceX and other rocket makers have turned their attention to a daunting experiment in food automation.

See the incredible honorees of the 2022 Innovation By Design Awards

Foodservice robots were everywhere at this year’s National Restaurant Show and could change the way we make pizza.

Making pizza is not rocket science, but for this actual rocket scientist it is now.

To former SpaceX engineer Benson Tsai, getting a spaceship into outer space and getting a fresh hot pizza delivered in Los Angeles are equally challenging and important. 

Once he landed on the idea for Stellar, he and his team dove into pizza science, reading academic papers from Italian universities outlining the mathematical models of heat transfer from ovens to pizza dough.

A roving pizza outfit is set to launch in early 2022, but you won’t see its founders assembling the toppings onto the dough and firing the pies in the oven — instead, they’ll just be programming the process.

From SpaceX to pizza robots, you may be wondering how this all came about. For CEO Benson Tsai, he found an opportunity to combine both his love for food and his chemical engineering knowledge to create Stellar Pizza.

“The machine was designed with in-house electronics and mechanisms to make the perfect pie.”

“Tsai doesn’t see Stellar as a robotics company that makes pizza, but as a pizza company that uses robotics.”

This episode, entitled, “The Robots Have Arrived: Benson Tsai of Stellar Pizza.” brings together Michelin-rated restaurateur host, Josh Kopel, and Benson to discuss a range of topics including Benson’s engineering background, the Stellar Pizza truck, menu items, and much more. Tap our link in bio to listen to the episode!

Stellar Pizza, a robotic restaurant that can churn out a pizza every 45 seconds, is opening in spring next year in Los Angeles.

Former SpaceX engineers founded Stellar Pizza with hopes of developing a fast and controllable robot to make your pie.

Click here for the episode titled, “Pizza in Space.” During the interview, the show’s host, Michael, and Benson discuss a range of topics including Benson’s engineer background, Stellar Pizza’s food truck, menu items, dough process, and much more. You can listen to Benson’s interview at the start of mark 1:19:50.

To date, Stellar Pizza has raised $9 million from investors with an additional round expected soon. The company plans to use this funding to grow the team and build out its mobile ghost kitchen fleet.

During the interview, the show’s host, Roger, and Benson discuss a range of topics including Benson’s engineer background, Stellar Pizza’s food truck, menu items, and much more.

If you’re waiting for the ultra-quick pizza solutions found in films like The Fifth Element and Back to the Future II, there is a new startup that is not so far off.

Launching early next year, Stellar Pizza is an automated pizza restaurant on wheels. The concept founded by a trio of ex-SpaceX engineers: Benson Tsai, Brian Langone, and James Wahawisan.

A pepperoni or supreme pizza is amongst the choices offered by Stellar Pizza and customers can even conceive their own pizza with toppings that include onions, bacon, chicken, and olives.

Brought up to speed, the robotic chef can churn out a pizza every 45 seconds.

Former SpaceX executive chef and director of culinary services Ted Cizma is overseeing the recipes with aid from consultant and Slow Rise Pizza Co. founder Noel Brohner.