Overview
- Tracking went live early on December 24 with more than 1,000 volunteers at Peterson Space Force Base answering 1-877-HI-NORAD through midnight Mountain Time.
- For the first time, international participants can place calls through the official website, with the tracker available in nine languages on web and app.
- NORAD says it follows Santa using North Warning System radars, infrared satellites that detect Rudolph’s nose, and occasional fighter-jet escorts.
- Families can also watch in real time on services like Flightradar24, which lists the sleigh under callsigns such as SANTA1 and R3DN053.
- Recent seasons logged roughly 1 million calls combined—about 261,000 in 2022, 430,000 in 2023, and 380,000 in 2024—underscoring the joint U.S.-Canada outreach effort.