Musk effect reaches Lerma: SpaceX books historic parador in Burgos to watch solar eclipse

Published on 12/08/2026 - 14:20 GMT+2

"Will Elon Musk come?" The question has been echoing through the streets of Lerma for days, a picturesque town south of Burgos in northern Spain. The arrival of SpaceX has transformed this community of just over 2,500 residents, where locals, hospitality workers and tourists are looking towards the Parador, trying to work out what is happening behind its doors. The company founded by Musk booked it a year and a half ago to watch the total solar eclipse from there this Wednesday.

Musk has ultimately not shown up, but the SpaceX effect is already being felt across the town: fully booked hotels, dozens of coaches and visitors arriving from different countries have shattered Lerma's usual calm and sparked a level of excitement rarely seen in the town.

The cause of all this commotion is a total solar eclipse that will on Wednesday plunge parts of Spain into darkness for nearly two minutes, an exceptional event that has not been witnessed on the Iberian Peninsula for more than a century.

SpaceX has been preparing for the occasion for some time. The aerospace company founded by Musk in 2002 booked Lerma's Parador 18 months in advance to secure a prime vantage point from which to observe the event, right in the path of totality, with clear skies and little light pollution.

The hotel, a 17th-century ducal palace where Napoleon once spent the night, has closed its doors to the public in recent days to host a "private event". Inside, 140 American specialists are staying there, including two professors from the University of Berkeley.

Is Musk in Lerma?

The possibility of Musk turning up in person spread like wildfire across the media and social networks in recent days. The hype grew, fuelled by reports suggesting that the billionaire himself might travel to Lerma to witness the eclipse.

In the end, 'COPE' has confirmed that Musk is not in the town. The guests at the Parador are technicians and eclipse enthusiasts and, according to the station, there are no celebrities among them.

His absence, however, has not stopped the entrepreneur's name being on the lips of locals and visitors. The mere presence of SpaceX has been enough to put this small town in the province of Burgos at the centre of attention for a few days.

Lerma takes off like a rocket

The denial, however, has not slowed the economic impact. Accommodation in the area has filled up with the arrival of visitors drawn by the eclipse, while numerous towns along the path of totality are experiencing an exceptional influx.

The phenomenon goes far beyond a mere anecdote. Destinations located in the path of totality, many of them small rural municipalities, are seeing these days an extraordinary influx of visitors.