Overview
- NORAD begins its 70th annual Santa tracking today with real-time coverage available on its website and mobile apps.
- For the first time, callers can connect with operators via the program’s website, a new option intended to make participation easier outside North America.
- The 1-877-HI-NORAD hotline is staffed by live operators, and the command says the call center can support more than 200 languages.
- More than 1,000 volunteers are scheduled at Peterson Space Force Base to answer inquiries throughout Christmas Eve.
- The tradition grew from a 1955 misprinted ad before NORAD formalized it in 1958, and it playfully employs radar, satellites and fighter aircraft to track Santa’s route.