NORAD Lieutenant General walks through the technology used to track Santa

Lt. Gen Blaise Frawley spoke to WUSA9 ahead of the start of Santa Claus' big ride to better understand the technology used by the American government to track the jolly old man as he delivers presents to children across the world.

In the past, even astronauts at the International Space Station helped track Santa.

While the main mission of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is to keep American skies safe, the Lieutenant General explained that they use the same technology to help with the Santa tracker.

"So, NORAD's main mission is to defend North America, and as such, we have optimized systems, radars, satellites and fighter aircraft. It's also a binational command, by the way, between Canada and the U.S.," said Frawley. "And on the 24th we can turn those capabilities into a perfect way to track Santa Claus as he makes his way across the globe."

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In another interview, Frawley explained that they use the heat signature from Rudolph's bright red nose, which not only helps lead Santa's way through clouds at top speed, but over the years, the technology has grown to also help serve as a GPS locator and connect with the NORAD satellites.

NORAD has been tracking Father Christmas for 68 years, but Frawley said he's never crossed paths with Claus while serving as a young fighter pilot.

Find the Santa Tracker here.

See the interviews below or at the link here.