Watch NORAD track Santa as he delivers joy on Christmas Eve
His sleigh is full, the reindeer are ready and NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) has its eyes to the skies on an extra special mission: tracking Santa's flight.
NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) has began tracking Santa since 1955. That makes this NORAD's 67th year keeping tabs on jolly old Saint Nick. Click here for the Santa tracker.
To learn more about the mission, here's a few questions and answers from the NORAD website.
Why does NORAD track Santa?
Twenty four hours a day, 365 days a year, NORAD tracks airplanes, missiles, space launches and anything else that flies in or around the North American continent, while also completing some other very important missions. While the tradition of tracking Santa began purely by accident, NORAD continues to track Santa. It's the only organization that has the technology, the qualifications, and the people to do it.
When will Santa arrive at my house?
NORAD keeps tabs on the sleigh, but only Santa knows his route, which means he's the only one who knows when he will arrive at your house. However, NORAD, knows from history that he arrives only when children are asleep. In most countries, it seems Santa arrives between 9 p.m. and midnight on Dec. 24. If children are still awake when Santa arrives, he moves on to other houses. He returns later, but only when the children are asleep.
Does NORAD have any statistics on Santa's sleigh?
NORAD can confirm that Santa's sleigh is a versatile, all weather, multi-purpose, vertical short-take-off and landing vehicle. It is capable of travelling vast distances without refuelling and is deployed, as far as we know, only on Dec. 24 (and sometimes briefly for a test flight about a month before Christmas).
Read more at noradsanta.org/en/noradhq.