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Video by Thomas Paul

NORAD Tracks Santa 2024

NORAD Tracks Santa

Dec. 19, 2024 | 7:10

Volunteers from North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and NORAD Tracks Santa contributors helped set up the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center in Hangar 123 on Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, beginning Dec. 13, 2024. The North American Aerospace Defense Command is a U.S. and Canada bi-national command charged with the missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America. On Dec. 24, NORAD has the special mission of tracking Santa, using the same satellites, radar, and fighter jets it uses twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, to track anything that flies in or around the North American continent. NORAD Tracks Santa contributors donate resources and support to enhance the operations center experience for over 900 volunteers answering calls from around the world on Dec. 24. (Department of Defense photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Luke McCall, Thomas Paul, Joshua Armstrong)