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

Scientists Just Proved That Your Brain Can Dream While You Are Wide Awake

May 11, 2026

A study from the Paris Brain Institute, published in Cell Reports, has overturned something most people take for granted: that dreaming and waking are two cleanly separate mental states, each with their own type of thoughts. Researchers monitored 92 adults using EEG caps as they drifted into and out of

Read More
Happy News

A Kitten Found Covered Head To Tail In Industrial Glue Just Made A Full Recovery And Has A New Home

May 11, 2026

When a good Samaritan in Fort Worth, Texas, discovered a small kitten stuck in a bucket of industrial-strength glue near an industrial area in April and rushed him to the Humane Society of North Texas, shelter staff were not sure the tiny animal would survive the night. The glue was

Read More
Happy News

The FDA Just Gave Pancreatic Cancer Patients Early Access To A Pill That Doubled Survival Time

May 11, 2026

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized early expanded access to a new pill called daraxonrasib, developed by Revolution Medicines, giving patients with advanced pancreatic cancer a chance to receive the experimental treatment while it awaits full regulatory approval, in a move the agency completed just two days after receiving

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.