Overview
- The NORAD Tracks Santa operations center runs on Dec. 24 from 4 a.m. to midnight Mountain Time, with live updates via 1-877-HI-NORAD, the website, apps, social channels, Alexa, SiriusXM and OnStar.
- More than 1,000 volunteers are scheduled to staff phones and online requests at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.
- NORAD says it uses the same radar network, satellites and fighter aircraft employed for aerospace warning to follow Santa’s route, with officials noting Rudolph’s nose provides a detectable heat signature.
- Flightradar24 lists the sleigh as SANTA1, which ranked as the No. 1 tracked flight worldwide on Dec. 23, as families also follow along on NORAD’s platforms.
- The tradition traces to a 1955 misprinted phone number that reached CONAD; NORAD assumed the role in 1958 and marks its 70th official tracking year in 2025.