Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

How The Military Tracks Santa

Every December, millions of families around the world track Santa’s Yuletide journey through the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Santa Tracker, a holiday tradition that has grown from humble origins into a massive volunteer operation. NORAD’s powerful North Warning System features 47 radar installations strategically positioned across Alaska and northern Canada, and as soon as that radar system picks up Santa departing from the North Pole, the command begins tracking him via globally integrated satellites using their infrared sensors that normally detect heat signatures from launched rockets or missiles. The satellites track Santa’s position throughout his global journey by detecting Rudolph’s bright red nose, which gives off an infrared signature remarkably similar to that of a missile, allowing NORAD to monitor every moment of his Christmas Eve flight. Fighter pilots flying U.S. Air Force F-15, F-16, F-22 aircraft and Canadian Air Force CF-18 jets rendezvous with Santa off the coast of Newfoundland each Christmas Eve to welcome him to North America and escort him safely through North American airspace until he completes his deliveries and returns home to the North Pole.

The tracking operation requires tremendous coordination with about 70 contributors helping set up the NORADSanta.org website, mobile apps, and phone lines starting each November when inquiries from eager families begin flooding in. More than 500 uniformed personnel, Defense Department civilians, their families and supporters volunteer their precious time on Christmas Eve to answer children’s questions about Santa’s whereabouts, with virtual call center capabilities picking up any slack when needed. Kids can follow Santa by calling the traditional phone line at 1-877-Hi-NORAD, visiting the countdown clock and games on NORADSanta.org, using the mobile app, asking Amazon Alexa, checking with vehicle navigation service OnStar, or following along on social media platforms where millions engage with real-time updates. In 2020, the operation reached unprecedented scale with more than 11 million website visitors from over 200 countries and territories, volunteers answering more than 20,000 phone calls, and the @noradsanta Facebook page gaining 1.89 million followers who eagerly await updates on Santa’s progress each year.

PrevPreviousThis Is How NORAD Santa Tracker Started
NextThe 112 Year Old Christmas Tradition That Just Went Nationwide OnlineNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

The Teddy Bear Doctor Who Has Been Saving Beloved Toys

April 1, 2026

There is a home where the walls are lined with button eyes, spare fur and tiny stuffed animal parts, and where a seamstress named Ruth Hasman has been quietly repairing beloved childhood toys for nearly two decades. She calls her operation the Bearland Teddy and Stuffy Hospital, and the patients

Read More
Happy News

United Airlines Reaches A Historic Payout Deal

April 1, 2026

Since 2020, more than 30,000 United Airlines flight attendants have been working without a pay raise, some of them picketing airports, voting down earlier deals and returning to the negotiating table to push for something that felt fair after years of sacrifice during the pandemic and the airline’s recovery. That

Read More
Happy News

American Cigarette Smoking Just Hit A Record Low

April 1, 2026

For the first time in recorded history, fewer than 10 percent of American adults smoke cigarettes. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 9.9 percent of adults smoked in 2024, crossing a threshold that public health researchers describe as genuinely significant. In their field,

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.